Experts have found more evidence that prescribing dementia patients "chemical cosh" drugs increases their risk of early death.

Antipsychotics are widely used in care homes and hospitals, but critics argue they are often given to sedate patients to make them easier to look after rather than for any medical benefit.

Guidelines say they should only be used as a last resort and over a short period of time, but in some cases patients have been prescribed them for years.

The latest research from Harvard Medical School is the biggest ever among US nursing home residents, involving 75,445 people aged 65 and over.

It examined a range of drugs and found one in particular - haloperidol -increased the risk a patient would die. Haloperidol is widely used in the UK as well as the US. Compared with the drug risperidone, users of haloperidol had double the risk of death, while those on another drug, quetiapine, had a decreased risk, the study found.

Writing online in the British Medical Journal, the experts concluded: "The data suggest that the risk of mortality with these drugs is generally increased with higher doses and seems to be highest for haloperidol and least for quetiapine." They suggest not all antipsychotic medication carries the same risk of death but that doctors may want to consider the evidence when prescribing the drugs.

Previous studies have found that antipsychotics as a class of drugs double the risk of death and treble the risk of stroke in dementia patients.

A Government-commissioned review in 2009 found 180,000 people with dementia were prescribed antipsychotics, of which 144,000 were given them inappropriately.

The drugs have been dubbed a "chemical cosh" due their effects and are thought to contribute to the premature deaths of 1,800 patients a year.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "The risks associated with antipsychotics are well-established, and these findings underline the importance of ensuring that where these drugs are prescribed, their use must be carefully monitored."

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Dementia 'chemical cosh' warnings

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Maven Semantic (http://www.mavensemantic.com) announces updates to their Lewy Body Dementia research database.

The new database is now available to marketing, business development, competitor intelligence, KOL, medical affairs and related departments in the life sciences sector.

The database currently tags 11,000 individuals working in Lewy Body Dementia. http://bit.ly/xwvhED.

Top 10 Countries for Lewy Body Dementia Research (ranked by number of senior researchers)

Leading organisations in Lewy Body Dementia research include:

Addenbrooke's Hospital Albert Einstein College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Case Western Reserve University Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research Columbia University Medical Center Duke University Medical Center Emory University School of Medicine Harvard Medical School Indiana University School of Medicine Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Karolinska Institutet King's College London Kinsmen Laboratory of Neurological Research Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Institute on Aging National Institutes of Health Sun Health Research Institute Tel Aviv University The Scripps Research Institute The University of Melbourne University of California University of Illinois at Chicago University of Kentucky University of Kuopio University of Pisa University of Pittsburgh University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center University of Würzburg Washington University School of Medicine Yale University School of Medicine

The database also includes pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, CROs, hospitals, government labs and other organisations active in the Lewy Body Dementia research field.

Sample companies in database include:

ACENTA DISCOVERY, INC Advanced Cell Technology and Mytogen, Inc ADVANCED MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CORPORATION ALEXZA MOLECULAR DELIVERY CORPORATION ALKERMES, INC Alviva Biopharmaceuticals, Inc Amgen Inc Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc Analysis Group, Inc Angiogen Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd Archemix Corporation ArmaGen Technologies, Inc ARONEX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC AVID RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC Cephalon Inc CytoTherapeutics Inc F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Fujimoto Pharmaceutical Corporation Genzyme Corporation Japan Science and Technology Corporation Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH NEOCYTEX BIOPHARMA, INC Novartis Pharma Inc Ortho Biotech Clinical Affairs, LLC Pfizer Inc Phylonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc PINNACLE TECHNOLOGY, INC Power3 Medical Products, Inc X-RAY OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC

What is Maven:

- Largest database of international medical professionals, with over 6,000,000 people and over 500,000 medical organisations;

- All records are downloadable to excel or in-house database, with email, postal address and phone contacts;

- Profile and segment the entire database using over 47,000 diseases and therapeutic areas

For more information visit http://www.mavensemantic.com/

Link:
Maven Semantic: Lewy Body Dementia Research Database

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- How fast you walk or how strong your grip is in middle age might help predict your odds for dementia or stroke later in life, a new study suggests.

Tests assessing walking speed and grip can be easily performed in a doctor's office, noted study author Dr. Erica C. Camargo, of the Boston Medical Center.

She and her colleagues tested the walking speed, hand grip strength and cognitive function of more than 2,400 people, average age 62. The participants also underwent brain scans.

During a follow-up period of up to 11 years, 34 people went on to develop dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and 70 had a stroke.

People who had a slower walking speed at the start of the study were 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than those with a faster walking speed, according to the findings, which are slated to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in New Orleans in April.

People aged 65 and older who had a stronger hand grip strength at the start of the study had a 42 percent lower risk of stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack) than those with weaker hand grip strength. This difference was not seen in people younger than 65.

"While frailty and lower physical performance in elderly people have been associated with an increased risk of dementia, we weren't sure until now how it impacted people of middle age," Camargo said in an AAN news release.

The researchers also found that slower walking speed was associated lower total cerebral brain volume and poorer performance on memory, language and decision-making tests. Stronger hand grip was associated with larger total cerebral brain volume and better results on tests of thinking and memory in which people had to identify similarities among objects.

"Further research is needed to understand why this is happening and whether preclinical disease could cause slow walking and decreased strength," Camargo said.

Experts said the findings might be valuable in assessing patient risk.

"It is unclear why there is such a correlation between walking speed and hand grip on these disease processes, yet they are two simple tests that can give us a pre-clinical clue as to what we might expect, and enable us to implement prevention," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Marshall Keilson, director of neurology at Maimonides Medical Center, also in New York City, agreed. "At the very least," he noted, "this research suggests novel approaches to early identification of dementia and stroke risk. It would be interesting to test an even younger patient population with the same protocol."

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-revised journal.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about dementia.

Read the original post:
Can Walking Speed, Hand Grip in Middle Age Predict Dementia Risk?

By Jenny Hope

Last updated at 9:55 AM on 16th February 2012

Middle-aged people who walk slowly and have a poor grip could be at greater risk of dementia or stroke in later life, researchers have warned.

Simple tests of physical ability may give clues as to who is most likely to go on to develop disorders such as Alzheimer’s and, to a lesser extent, suffer a stroke, they say.

Their study involved monitoring more than 2,400 participants with an average age of 62 over 11 years.

Tight grip: Research has found that simple tests on things like how fast a person walks may help doctors determine how likely that person might suffer dementia or a stroke

Those with a slower walking speed were found to be one and a half times more likely to develop dementia over the age of 65 compared with those who were more speedy.

People with a stronger grip had a 42 per cent lower risk of stroke or a mini-stroke – known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) – over the age of 65, although the risk was not cut at younger ages.

Lead researcher Dr Erica Camargo said this level of testing could be routinely carried out by primary care physicians and GPs. ‘These are basic office tests which can provide insight into risk of dementia and stroke and can be easily performed by a neurologist or general practitioner,’ she added.

Participants in the U.S. study were tested for walking speed, hand grip strength and cognitive function, and had brain scans.

During the follow-up period, 34 people developed dementia and 70 people had a stroke.

A scan showing a healthy brain (above) and one (below) revealing the warning signs of Alzheimer's in red. Researchers in Boston are looking at new tests to find out if a person is more likely to suffer from the disease (file picture)

Dr Camargo, of Boston Medical Centre, said: ‘While frailty and lower physical performance in elderly people have been associated with an increased risk of dementia, we weren’t sure how it impacted people of middle age.’

Researchers also found that slower  walking speed was associated with lower total cerebral brain volume – fewer ‘grey’ cells  and poorer performance on memory,  language and decision-making tests. Stronger grip strength was associated with larger  total cerebral brain volume as well as better performance on cognitive tests asking people to identify similarities among objects.

‘Further research is needed to understand why this is happening and whether preclinical disease could cause slow walking and decreased strength,’ added Dr Camargo.

Dr Anne Corbett, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Before people take stock in the strength of a handshake or the speed you cross the road, more research is needed to understand why and what other factors are involved.

‘The good news is that there are many things to reduce your risk of developing dementia.

‘We recommend you eat a healthy balanced diet, don’t smoke, maintain a healthy  weight, take regular exercise, and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly.’

The research was presented yesterday at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th annual meeting in New Orleans. Some 820,000 people are affected by dementia in the UK.

See the original post:
Dementia: Fast walking speed and a strong grip in middle age may help predict risk

Latest Exercise & Fitness News

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Here's another reason to get into shape: Physical activity may reduce the risk of dementia-related death, according to a new study.

Researchers assessed the health of more than 45,000 men and nearly 15,000 women, ages 20 to 88 years, in the United States and grouped them into one of three fitness categories -- low, middle or high.

After an average follow-up of 17 years, about 4,050 participants died. Of those deaths, 164 were attributed to dementia (72 vascular dementia and 92 Alzheimer's disease). Of those 164 deaths, 123 of the people were in the low-fitness group, 23 were in the middle-fitness group, and 18 were in the high-fitness group.

People in the high- and medium-fitness groups had less than half the risk of dying as those in the low-fitness group, the researchers concluded.

The study appears in the February issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

"These findings support physical-activity promotion campaigns by organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and should encourage individuals to be physically active," study author Riu Liu said in a journal news release.

"Following the current physical-activity recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine will keep most individuals out of the low-fit category and may reduce their risk of dying with dementia," Liu added.

Liu conducted the study as part of her dissertation at the University of South Carolina. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

While deaths in the United States associated with heart disease, breast cancer and stroke have declined in recent years, deaths related to dementia and Alzheimer's rose 46 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the release.

The study doesn't prove that exercise will prevent dementia, however. Other factors may also come into play.

-- Robert Preidt

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, news release, Feb. 7, 2012

View original post here:
Exercise a Defense Against Dementia: Study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A series of group activities designed to stimulate thought, conversation and memory appears to improve the mental functioning of people with mild or moderate dementia, according to a new review of the evidence.

"This is good news for the industry," said Robert Winningham, a professor at the University of Western Oregon, who was not involved in this study. "This is showing the people who work in memory care communities and nursing homes and assisted living facilities that they can improve cognitive function, and they need to be providing these kinds of interventions."

Cognitive stimulation, as the therapy is called, involves structured activities in a group setting, usually one or more times a week for at least a month.

The sessions might include a discussion of current events, a sort of show-and-tell with objects, baking, drawing or other activities that get the participants to engage their minds.

Bob Woods, a professor at Bangor University in the UK who led the study, said that researchers in this field had considered cognitive stimulation to be helpful for people with dementia, based on earlier work.

To get a better sense of just how much the therapy can do, he and his colleagues at University College London pulled together the findings from 15 studies comparing cognitive stimulation to no extra intervention for people with mild or moderate dementia.

In total, 718 people participated in the studies.

The stimulation sessions lasted from 30 to 90 minutes, and people met as frequently as five times a week. The studies continued for at least a month and up to two years.

"One of the difficulties in dementia is people do become a bit apathetic and withdrawn," Woods told Reuters Health. "So having this structured form of stimulation guarantees they are engaged and active for a period of time."

At the end of the studies people took a test to measure their mental functioning.

Those who were in the cognitive stimulation groups performed about one or two points better than those who didn't participate, on tests that had ranges of zero to 30 and zero to 70.

Woods said the effect is fairly small, but encouraging. He explained that people with dementia typically decline by a few points on these tests in six months or a year.

So a one or two point increase over people who didn't receive any treatment means their dementia, at least in terms of their mental skills, was essentially stabilized and didn't progress.

SOME RESULTS DISAPPOINTING

Other skills for daily living, however, did not show any improvements compared to the people who didn't receive cognitive stimulation.

"To be honest, that's disappointing," Winningham told Reuters Health. "Activities of daily living are your ability to take care of yourself, to do a check book, go grocery shopping. We need to find ways to improve these because that's what will allow people to stay independent and reduce health care costs."

Winningham said the mental gains are important, though, and training staff at assisted living or nursing care facilities to provide cognitive stimulation is a worthwhile investment.

"It's a very inexpensive way to improve cognitive function, relative to much more expensive drug therapies that have been, really, the only thing that we were sure worked before these studies came out," he said.

Woods said most of the studies have focused on interventions given in group sessions, and he'd like to see whether individual sessions, perhaps given by a family member, could deliver similar results.

"I'm quite hopeful some grandchildren would want to do this with their grandfather or grandmother who has dementia," he said.

In the report, published by the Cochrane Collaboration, the authors disclose that some of them have earned money by providing training and manuals for cognitive stimulation.

Cochrane is a large, international network of researchers that consolidates and reviews studies on a given medical treatment.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Af8nyY Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, February 2012.

Read the rest here:
Group mental activities help people with dementia, review shows

When Times staff photographer Rob Gauthier and I first visited the Bryant family last April to begin reporting a story, (“Little-known brain disease rips apart lives of victim, loved ones,”), about a rare type of dementia, known as frontotemporal dementia, we realized that we needed to explore the science behind the malady. FTD, as the disease is known, is similar to Alzheimer's but affects the front portions of the brain and leads to behavioral problems such as the Bryants experienced with Stu.

I knew about Phineas Gage, the railroad foreman who in 1848 lost the front portion of his brain in a terrible construction accident and who survived as a radically changed man. I had read the work of Hanna and Antonio Damasio, neuroscientists who almost 20 years ago pioneered our understanding of the biology of emotions, and I was eager to see how frontotemporal dementia was being studied to further this research. 

In the course of our reporting, Rob and I took a number of trips to UCLA and the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs hospital to interview Mario Mendez, the physician and neuroscientists treating Stu. In our conversations, Mendez helped us understand what Oliver Sacks meant when he wrote, “Without the great development of the frontal lobes in the human brain, civilization could never have arisen.”

By studying the effects of frontotemporal dementia – and its slow diminishment of personality – Mendez is able to see more clearly the so-called social brain, a portion of our frontal and temporal lobes that plays a role in allowing us to successfully interact with each other and build relationships. Take away this portion of the cortex and we are no longer able to moderate our emotions. 

Moderation – the inhibition of emotional impulses – can take the form of empathy and embarrassment and is critical in helping us negotiate complex social environments. Without either, as Rob and I learned during the time we spent with Stu, humans grow untethered to the world, unable to read feelings or behave in an appropriate manner.

By steering the discussion about morality, normally the providence of ethicists and philosophers, away from the symposium and putting it inside the laboratory where thoughts are considered to be not so much conscious choices, but instead reflexes based on a neurological network, Mendez and other neuroscientists are furthering the inquiry into the nature of right and wrong. In this light, religion, family, even Freud's notions of superego, ego and id matter less than biology.

Mendez argues that specific behaviors – not harming another person, respecting hierarchy and authority, accepting communal goals, recognizing equity and fairness – evolved among humans.  Good manners, therefore, have as much to do with what we are born with as they do with how we were raised and what our parents taught us.

“Much of the social behavior that we take for granted and that we often consider to be learned or cultural or developmental is actually behavior that is deeply ingrained in the nervous system and in the frontal lobes,” Mendez says.

Consider that the next time you’re in a crowded restaurant and watching the kaleidoscope of interactions. Never mind the ability to speak and communicate. Never mind the opposable thumbs. The frontal lobes make humans human.

See the original post:
The science behind frontotemporal dementia

03-08-2010 13:50 © Dementia 2010 © The single recorded by 'Dementia', and written by Dave Allen in aid of armed forces across the world, fighting for peace and freedom in todays hostile world. More details can be found at http://www.afghanheroes.org.uk and http

Continued here:
GLORY TO THE BOYS - Dementia - Video

15 February 2012 Last updated at 05:10 ET

People with dementia and their carers are to be recruited for a trial looking at how word games and quizzes can benefit brain stimulation in sufferers.

Bangor University research suggests cognitive stimulation from playing dominoes or even baking a cake can also help boost memory.

There are now plans to trial the technique to see how it can be used by families and carers.

The trial in north Wales will be run jointly with University College London.

According to Bangor University, there is a general belief that activities that stimulate the mind - cognitive stimulation - help to slow its decline in people with dementia.

The review, led by Bangor University professor, Bob Woods, and published in The Cochrane Library, looked at trial results from around the world involving 718 people with mild to moderate dementia.

Prof Woods, of the university's dementia services development centre, told BBC Radio Wales: "This review involves people who have already developed dementia.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

It can range from music to dominoes, word games, quizzes, baking a cake, reminiscing - a whole range of things”

End Quote Prof Bob Woods Bangor University

"It suggests that in people with mild to moderate dementia this is very useful strategy, not only for improving memory, but for improving quality of life.

"These are very simple straightforward activities.

"It's not like brain training - repeating the same exercises over - these are meant to be enjoyable fun activities that people can do together.

"It can range from music to dominoes, word games, quizzes, baking a cake, reminiscing - a whole range of things."

The review says the benefits of cognitive stimulation were still being seen up to three months after starting.

He said such activities were carried out by staff in many care homes.

"We are also interested in whether this can be taught to family carers looking after a person with dementia and we've got a major trail starting here at Bangor to examine the effects of that approach," he added.

Here is the original post:
Dementia brain stimulation trial

Dementia is a combination of a loss of memory and a loss of intellectual functioning, and it can be caused by fever, a reaction to drugs or intoxication.

View post:
Medical

10-02-2011 14:44

Read the rest here:
You're sick It's dementia - Video

02-09-2010 16:01 Our understanding of the vascular dementia is rapidly evolving and it is not always easily recognized. Practitioners would benefit from a better understanding of its accurate diagnosis, the various etiologies and phenotypes, and its management and its management, including the use of cognitive enhancers. Series: UC Grand Rounds [8/2010] [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18366]

Read more:
Update on Vascular Dementia - Video

I'm playing space dementia from "origin of symmetry" on piano and with the cd the sound of drums and bass is played... Ps: The cd only plays the bass guitare and drums.

Follow this link:
Space Dementia Muse piano version - Video

Super trippy cartoon

See more here:
Dementia 5! - Video

Published: 11:36AM Monday July 23, 2012 Source: Reuters

Source: photos.com

The world's first mobile application aimed at reducing people's dementia risk is now available for Android phone users.

BrainyApp, which was developed by Alzheimer's Australia and Bupa Health Foundation, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times worldwide since it was made available for iPhone and iPad in November last year.

Alzheimer's Australia national president Ita Buttrose said Android phone users had inundated the organisation with requests to access the mobile app since its launch.

"We have had enquiries from people and other Alzheimer's associations from around the world, including The Netherlands, South Africa, Mexico and Iceland, wanting to know when the Android version will be available," she said in a statement on Monday.

"It is extremely encouraging to see that so many people want to make active lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing dementia."

The free mobile app tests your brain-heart health, tells you areas that you should focus on, suggests activities you might do and lets you track how these activities have affected your health.

You can also access information about dementia and play challenging 'brain training games'.

Copyright 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

Go here to see the original:
Dementia app available for download

The world's first mobile application aimed at reducing people's dementia risk is now available for Android phone users.

BrainyApp, which was developed by Alzheimer's Australia and Bupa Health Foundation, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times worldwide since it was made available for iPhone and iPad in November last year.

Alzheimer's Australia national president Ita Buttrose said Android phone users had inundated the organisation with requests to access the mobile app since its launch.

'We have had enquiries from people and other Alzheimer's associations from around the world, including The Netherlands, South Africa, Mexico and Iceland, wanting to know when the Android version will be available,' she said in a statement on Monday.

'It is extremely encouraging to see that so many people want to make active lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing dementia.'

The free mobile app tests your brain-heart health, tells you areas that you should focus on, suggests activities you might do and lets you track how these activities have affected your health.

You can also access information about dementia and play challenging brain training games'.

Here is the original post:
Free dementia mobile app available

Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, from his Facebook page.

CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 7 (UPI) -- Colombian author and Nobel literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez is suffering from dementia and has been forced to stop writing, his brother announced.

The 84-year-old author, best known for the novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude," which has sold more than 30 million copies, is currently in the middle of writing his autobiography, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. Brother Jaime Garcia Marquez told students at a lecture in Cartagena his brother no longer has the mental faculties to complete the book, "Living to Tell the Tale."

"He is doing well physically, but he has been suffering from dementia for a long time," he said. "From a physical standpoint he's doing well, although he now has some memory lapses" that have been made worse by a battle with lymphatic cancer in 1999.

"Dementia runs in our family and he's now suffering the ravages prematurely due to the cancer that put him almost on the verge of death," he said.

Garcia Marquez, who lives in Mexico, was a pioneer of the literary school of magical realism, producing the novels "Love in the Time of Cholera," "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" and "The General in His Labyrinth."

"He still has the humor, joy and enthusiasm that he has always had," his brother told his students.

More here:
Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has dementia

New Croydon singing group for dementia sufferers

12:30pm Sunday 8th July 2012 in News By Hannah Williamson

Lady Mayoress Liz Wootton opened the group

A new singing group for dementia sufferers has been launched by the Alzheimer's Society.

Singing for the Brain Croydon is one of three groups being funded by the Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation, and was officially opened by the Lady Mayoress Liz Wootton, last Friday.

The group, aimed at the 3,400 people living with dementia in Croydon, consists of twelve weekly sessions for people with dementia to attend with their carers.

The programme was developed by music specialists to specifically help people with dementia to sustain mental and psychological well-being.

This is achieved through stimulating and challenging singing and gentle psychical activity.

Mashhmood Ahmed, Alzheimer's Society Support Services Manager in Croydon, said: "Singing for the Brain provides an opportunity to build friendships, gain support and share experiences with people who understand the issues surrounding living with memory problems and dementia.

"I have seen people who are barely able to speak, be transformed by the music, singing along to tunes from their past as if their old memories are suddenly unlocked."

See original here:
New singing group for dementia sufferers

The world's first mobile application aimed at reducing people's dementia risk is now available for Android phone users.

BrainyApp, which was developed by Alzheimer's Australia and Bupa Health Foundation, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times worldwide since it was made available for iPhone and iPad in November last year.

Alzheimer's Australia national president Ita Buttrose said Android phone users had inundated the organisation with requests to access the mobile app since its launch.

'We have had enquiries from people and other Alzheimer's associations from around the world, including The Netherlands, South Africa, Mexico and Iceland, wanting to know when the Android version will be available,' she said in a statement on Monday.

'It is extremely encouraging to see that so many people want to make active lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing dementia.'

The free mobile app tests your brain-heart health, tells you areas that you should focus on, suggests activities you might do and lets you track how these activities have affected your health.

You can also access information about dementia and play challenging brain training games'.

See more here:
Dementia app now available on Android