Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one interested in stories like the one out of Chicago this week. It seems the brain scientists in Northwestern’s School of Medicine have determined that the brains of people who maintained sharp minds into their 80s have just as much beta amyloid plaque on the outside of their brain cells as people with Alzheimer’s disease. This was thought to be a mechanism of function lost in AD. The difference is in the neurofibulary tangles inside the cells. Little messes of protein that accumulate and eventually bust open the cells causing the atrophy that eventually shows to gross exam is what makes an AD brain different from a “super aging” brain.
One of the interventions that has shown poor response is using anti inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen that will prevent the plaque forming from starting, but hasn’t had an appreciable effect on memory loss. This explains why- it wasn’t the plaques that were the problem.
Now what does one do about it? Well, memory reserve is the next big thing. What one needs to do to prevent memory problems in our 80s is go to college in our twenties. Education is the best prevention. When I signed up for geology and Japanese at PCC there were people who asked “what are you ever going to do with that?” I guess the answer is “act as your health care surrogate.” One of the exercises that seems to have the most late onset benefit is doing internet searches. Googling and yahooing can keep you young. Just remember to get up and stretch.