TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A study identified several factors that determine whether people are more or less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. These findings may provide clues as to who is more likely to develop dementia.
Researchers from Columbia University looked at 2,903 people aged 65 years or older and tracked function brain them for nine years. This cognitive impairment was diagnosed by giving them a memory task to see if they reported difficulty performing daily tasks, such as using the phone, and had not been diagnosed with dementia.
Launch weforum.org, at the start of the study, all participants had normal brain function. Six years later, 1,805 participants had normal cognitive function, 752 had mild cognitive impairment, and 301 developed dementia. The researchers then followed up the group with cognitive impairment for three years.
Unfortunately, some of the participants could not be followed up so the researchers were only able to observe 480 people from the group with mild cognitive impairment. While 142 people still had mild cognitive impairment, they found 62 of this group now had dementia.
In addition, the researchers also found that 276 people no longer met the criteria for mild cognitive impairment, which shows us that mild cognitive impairment is not always permanent and causes dementia. From this study, let’s look at the factors associated with a lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
Education
Time spent in education was found to be one of the factors that lowered the risk of mild cognitive impairment. People who had an average of 11.5 years in education were 5 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment when compared to those who spent only 10 years of education.
This study does not distinguish between types of education such as school or higher education. One theory for this relationship is that longer time in education is associated with higher socioeconomic status, meaning people have better access to a healthier lifestyle and better health care.
Meanwhile, another theory is that education helps the brain build more neurons and connections, which helps the brain maintain its proper function. This can help the brain compensate for any changes that may occur as a result of mild cognitive impairment, such as memory loss.
Relaxing activities
People who are more physically or socially active have a slightly lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. To measure how social or active the participants were, the researchers asked them to fill out questionnaires about the activities they did and how often they did it, such as going for a walk or going to the movies.
After that, the researcher gave the participants a score of 13. The higher the score, the more active the participants were. Those without mild cognitive impairment scored an average of 7.5 while those with mild cognitive impairment scored slightly lower, at 7.4. People with dementia scored an average of 5.8.
Previous studies have also shown moderate-intensity activity during middle age or old age can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment. The protective effects of exercise can be explained by the beneficial structural changes that occur in the brain as a result of exercise. Growing evidence also shows socializing can help maintain brain health and lower the risk of premature death.
Income
People who have an income of more than USD 36,000 per year have a 20 percent chance of experiencing mild cognitive impairment compared to those who earn less than USD 9,000 or around Rp. 126 million a year. Income may be associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline for the same reasons as education because people with higher incomes can afford better health care and have a better lifestyle.
In addition, they may also live in areas with favorable environments, where there is ample evidence to suggest that pollution can also be linked to conditions such as disease. Alzheimer and Parkinson’s.
Researchers from Columbia University also identified several factors that are associated with a greater risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, including:
Genetics
The presence of the AP0E E4 allele, one of two or more versions of the gene, was found to increase the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment by 18 percent. This finding is in line with previous evidence, which also suggests this allele may increase the risk of dementia.
People with AP0E E4 are about three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with a different variant of the AP0E gene. This variant is thought to make people more likely to accumulate toxic protein deposits in the brain, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also think this gene only causes damage in older people.
Underlying health conditions
The Columbia University researchers found that people with one or more chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, depression, or diabetes, had a 9 percent greater risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. Experiencing some health conditions may make people less involved in daily activities or social life. Both of these things can accelerate the decline in brain health.
Other conditions, such as heart disease are also known to increase the risk of cognitive decline. The study reminds us that mild cognitive impairment is not always a precursor to dementia. In fact, some of the study participants who had mild cognitive impairment were eventually able to regain normal brain function.
While it’s not known exactly why, lifestyle changes after diagnosis may be helpful. Our brains are dynamic and keeping them active throughout life is essential for the brain to function properly. Although there are some risk factors such as genetics that cannot be changed, staying active and adopting a healthy lifestyle may be one way to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
Also read: Dementia is not absolute for the elderly, you too can suffer from it
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