According to a new study released by the Mayo Clinic and cited by Fox News , heavy snorers may have higher accumulations of the toxic protein tau — a bio-hallmark of Alzheimer's disease — in the portion of the brain that manages memory, navigation, and perception of time. This new data will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Philadelphia set for May 4-10. It supports a major link between an increased risk for dementia and sleep disruption — one that's especially true for obstructive sleep apnea where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. Using the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a research team identified 288 men and women 65 and older who did not have dementia. Participants were asked to track when their snoring bed partners stopped breathing during slumber. Brain scans then looked for a build-up of the toxic protein in the entorhinal cortex, the brain zone deep behind the nose that's most susceptible to tau accumulation and stores and retrieves info related to visual perception when experiences happen. Those bed partners who witnessed sleep apneas had about 4.5 percent higher levels of tau in the entorhinal cortex than those observed in peaceful sleep.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found dementia affects men and women differently, reports Medical Xpress . The University of Queensland conducted a collaborative study with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health examining 1.1 million Australian death certificates for any mention of dementia. "As people live longer, the chance of getting dementia increases significantly, especially over the age of 80," notes Queensland health biostatistician Dr. Michael Waller. "Our study looked for records where dementia was listed either as the cause of death or as an underlying cause. Within the 184,562 certificates, we found that women had 14 percent higher rates of death from the most common form of dementia — Alzheimer's disease." The research found men had a 20 percent higher rate of death from vascular dementia. Waller says the findings suggest there could be underlying biological factors driving the different rates of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia among males and females. "These factors might include hormonal changes, particularly during menopause, and even differential risk for other conditions such as cardiovascular disease," he concludes.

New research by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) suggests feeling good and being emotionally well is linked with better brain health among people over 50, reports the Sunday Post . By contrast, the study found that poor mental well-being, feeling pessimistic, and having a sense of hopelessness could affect how older men and women think and reason. Among the best ways to boost emotional health in one's senior years are visiting with family and friends, getting out and about in the community, exercising, and eating healthy. Volunteering, which can ward off social isolation, and good sleep habits can also be beneficial. The GCBH report, launched in the United Kingdom by partner Age UK, asserts that greater mental well-being is linked with a lower risk of dementia. "Even though some people's thinking skills can decline as we get older, it isn't an inevitable part of aging, and we're learning more and more about what impacts on brain aging, and what we can do to maintain good brain health later in life," remarks Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK. The GCBH is an independent group of scientists, academics, and health professionals.

A study from Johns Hopkins University found about 25 million Americans who are trying to age in place are reliant on help from other people and devices to perform essential daily activities, but are not receiving adequate assistance, reports the Berkshire Eagle . Almost 60 percent of seniors with seriously compromised mobility reported remaining inside their residences, instead of getting out of the house, while 25 percent said they often remained in bed. Twenty percent of older adults who had significant difficulty putting on a shirt or pulling on undergarments or pants went without getting dressed, while 27.9 percent of those who needed assistance with toileting issues had an accident or befouled themselves. The researchers found about 33 percent of older adults who live in the community have a substantial need for help with daily activities like bathing, eating, getting dressed, using the toilet, transferring in and out of bed, or moving around their homes. Approximately 33 percent have relatively few needs, while another 33 percent get along well by themselves with no notable difficulty. Sixty percent of the seniors surveyed used at least one assistive device, most typically for bathing, toileting, and mobility.

CVS Health announced the impending closure of its approximately 30 hearing centers, as it test new store formats and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drafts new rules that will allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter (OTC), reports CNBC . "The FDA is preparing to approve lower-cost, over-the-counter hearing devices in the near future, and new technology is emerging to enable self-serve hearing testing and care," said CVS spokesperson Erin Pensa. In 2020, the FDA will introduce regulations making it unnecessary for CVS to set aside space in stores for audiologists to conduct hearing tests and fit people for the devices. CVS also is experimenting with new store formats as its core drugstore business deals with competition from online companies like Amazon. The company is testing HealthHUBs, which offer more health services, like blood pressure testing and yoga classes. Hearing amplifiers are not subject to federal and state sales regulations, meaning they can be purchased over the counter.

A study published in the BMJ found persons older than 65 with urinary tract infections (UTIs) are at higher risk for sepsis and death within 60 days if not treated with antibiotics immediately. Those older than 85 are especially in danger if antibiotics are deferred or not prescribed, reports Medscape . "Particular care is needed for the management of older men and those in deprived communities," said Imperial College London's Myriam Gharbi. The team investigated data from the National Health Service Clinical Practice Research Datalink on more than 150,000 individuals 65 or older who had presented to a general practitioner with at least one case of suspected or confirmed lower UTI from November 2007 to June 2015. More than 300,000 UTI cases were diagnosed, with most suspected on the basis of clinical symptoms because real-time microbiology analysis is largely unavailable in primary care in Britain. Of that cohort, 86.6 percent received an antibiotic prescription at the initial consultation, 6.2 percent received antibiotics after a weeklong delay, and 7.2 percent were not given antibiotics. Those older than 85 were much less likely than those 65 to 74 to receive antibiotics immediately. The risk of developing sepsis within 60 days was seven times higher for persons who received no antibiotics versus those treated immediately and sixfold higher for those whose antibiotic treatment was delayed. Finally, all-cause mortality within 60 days of index UTI diagnosis was 2.18 times higher for the no-antibiotic group and 1.16 times higher for the deferred-antibiotic group compare to the immediate-treatment group.

A study published in the FASEB Journal found seniors who eat a high-fat diet rich in Omega-6 fatty acids could be at risk of developing health issues ranging from diabetes to heart failure, reports the Business Standard . A calorie-dense, obesity-generating diet in aging mice was found to disrupt the composition of the gut microbiome, which correlated with development of a systemwide non-resolving inflammation in acute heart failure, with disruptions of the immune cell profile. The diet also caused a sharp increase in bacteria belonging to the genus Allobaculum, phylum Firmicutes, while also enlarging the proportion of neutrophils in the blood of young mice. In aged mice, a similar uptake in the proportion of neutrophils was found for both old mice fed a standard diet and specimens fed the obesity-generating diet. Young mice given the obesity-generating diet could resolve inflammation after a heart attack, even though their gut microflora had already been changed. In aged mice fed the obesity-generating diet, the heart attack induced non-resolving inflammation. Said the University of Alabama's Ganesh Halade, "This study highlights that diet and age are critical factors that have differential impact with age, and it highlights the spleen and heart as an inter-organ communication system with the immune defense system."

A study of older adults published in Scientific Reports found those who spent at least 3.5 hours per day watching TV experienced a greater decline in verbal memory, reports Medical News Today . Analysis of 3,662 adults age 50 and older determined those who watched TV for 3.5 hours or more per day had an average decline of 8 percent to 10 percent in word- and language-related memory over the six-year study period. Those who watched fewer hours of TV per day had a 4 percent to 5 percent average decline. "Much less attention has been paid to the effects of television viewing at the other end of the lifespan, despite it being hypothesized for over 25 years that watching excessive television could contribute to the development of dementia," noted University College London's Daisy Fancourt. The researchers suggest watching TV could affect verbal memory through "cognitive stress," which might come with the alert-passive nature of TV viewing, combined with the psychological effects of witnessing violent, suspenseful, and graphic scenes. Alternatively, the more time people spend watching TV, the less opportunity they have to engage in "cognitively beneficial activities" like reading and cultural pursuits.

A study published in Nature Genetics detailed five new risk genes for Alzheimer's and verified 20 known others, reports the National Institutes of Health . The findings add credibility to evidence that groups of genes lined to specific biological processes, such as cell trafficking, lipid transport, inflammation, and the immune response, are "genetic hubs" that play a key role in the disease process. "This continuing collaborative research into the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer's is allowing us to dig deeper into the complexities of this devastating disease," said National Institute on Aging Director Richard J. Hodes. "The size of this study provides additional clarity on the genes to prioritize as we continue to better understand and target ways to treat and prevent Alzheimer's." The researchers analyzed genetic data from more than 94,000 individuals with late onset Alzheimer's. Once the functions of the five genes newly associated with the disorder — IQCK, ACE, ADAM10, ADAMTS1, and WWOX — are understood and examined in conjunction with the functions of the 20 known genes, scientists will be in a better position to identify where the genetic hubs of Alzheimer's are clustering. This could enable them to more deeply probe these genetic hubs to reveal disease mechanisms and potential drug targets.

A preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 71st Annual Meeting suggests medical marijuana may bring relief to older people dealing with pain, sleep disorders, or anxiety due to chronic conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's, neuropathy, spinal cord damage, and multiple sclerosis, reports ScienceDaily . The study focused on 204 people, average age 81, enrolled in New York State's Medical Marijuana Program. Participants were orally administered various ratios of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) for an average of four months. At first, 34 percent experienced side effects, which fell to 21 percent after an adjustment in dosage. The most frequent side effects were sleepiness in 13 percent of participants, balance problems in 7 percent, and gastrointestinal disturbances in 7 percent. A ratio of one-to-one THC to CBD was the most common ratio among people who observed no side effects. Sixty-nine percent of participants had some symptom relief, and the most common conditions that improved were pain, sleep symptoms, neuropathy, and anxiety. "Our findings show that medical marijuana is well-tolerated in people age 75 and older and may improve symptoms like chronic pain and anxiety," said the Dent Neurologic Institute's Laszlo Mechtler. "Future research should focus on symptoms like sleepiness and balance problems, as well as efficacy and optimal dosing."