The lifestyle study isn't the only recent Alzheimer's advance causing excitement among researchers. Here are other important studies that were completed this year.
The importance of sleep
Getting enough sleep, and treating sleep problems, may help reduce the risk of developing memory-loss diseases, research presented to the Copenhagen conference showed.
In a study of more than 200,000 military veterans, mostly men over age 54, those who suffered from sleep disorders – such as insomnia and sleep apnea (shallow or paused breathing during sleep) – had a 30% higher risk of dementia than those without sleep issues, researchers from UC San Francisco found. So it's possible that treating sleep issues could help prevent Alzheimer's.
There are two possible reasons why sleep is a factor in dementia, Dr. Dubal says. One is that we replay our memories and the day's events during sleep. When sleep is disrupted, it disturbs the normal processing of these memories, so they can't be stored.
Also, research has shown the brain undergoes a cleansing process during sleep in which it flushes out toxins related to Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Dubal says. If sleep is disrupted, those toxin levels rise.
"In our culture, many of us minimize sleep," she notes. "But it's remarkably important for memory."
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