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Majid Fotuhi, M.D., of The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health Offers a New Framework for Dementia
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In a newly published article in Nature Reviews Neurology, Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues offer a new paradigm by which to frame discussions regarding memory loss and dementia in the elderly.
Most recent studies show that elderly people over the age of 80 often have mixed pathologies in their brains that account for their memory loss and confusion. Very few senior citizens have "pure Alzheimer disease"; therefore, this terminology should be used with caution. It now appears that vascular problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes can shrink the parts of the brain that control memory and can significantly affect at what age elderly people become demented. Those with better health (good diet, optimal fitness, low stress) may be able to postpone the cognitive decline that occurs late in life.
Fotuhi and colleagues believe that a balance of positive and negative factors affect the brain throughout early life and midlife to determine the degree of cognitive agility and impairment in late life. These factors increase or decrease cerebral blood flow, inflammation, size and frequency of strokes, and concentrations of growth factors, cortisol, and other hormones.
Dr. Fotuhi directs the Sinai Hospital Center for Memory and Brain Health at The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute. He speaks extensively on the subject of dementia and has written two books, The Memory Cure: How to Protect Your Brain against Memory Loss and Alzheimer's Disease, and The New York Times Puzzles to Keep Your Brain Young: The 6-Step Age-Defying Program.
Dr. Fotuhi notes, "The realization that the size of our brains can be modulated throughout adult life brings hope to millions of baby boomers concerned about losing their memories with aging."
LifeBridge Health, one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of health services in Northwest Baltimore, includes Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, Courtland Gardens Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, and related subsidiaries and affiliates. For more information, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org.
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