From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   Anxiety Speeds Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease     
      
   Anxiety Speeds Cognitive Impairment   
      
   A new study shows that people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and high   
   levels of stress have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than   
   their peers who aren't stressed out.   
      
   According to an article in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, MCI   
   patients who experience anxiety symptoms tend to undergo a speedier decline in   
   cognitive function, whether or not they have depression, which is also a risk   
   factor for Alzheimer'   
   s.   
      
   A research team at Baycrest Health Sciences' Rotman Research Institute in   
   Canada found that the risk of Alzheimer's increased among those with mild,   
   moderate, or severe anxiety by 33 percent, 78 percent, and 135 percent,   
   respectively. They studied 376    
   adults between the ages of 55 and 91 over a three-year period, keeping an eye   
   on cognitive changes every six months.   
      
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   Study participants were diagnosed with MCI but had low scores on a rating   
   scale that measures depression. This means that their anxiety symptoms were   
   not caused by clinical depression. Dr. Linda Mah, a clinical scientist at the   
   Rotman Research Institute    
   and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, led the   
   research. She said it clearly shows that MCI patients with anxiety are at a   
   higher risk for developing Alzheimer's, and that the more severe the anxiety,   
   the greater the risk    
   of progressing to Alzheimer's.   
      
   Older couple   
   "We cannot tell from this study whether interventions to reduce anxiety will   
   also reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease ... we need future studies to answer   
   this question," Mah said. Doctors do know that lifestyle interventions such as   
   exercise and more    
   social interaction can reduce anxiety and seem to slow cognitive decline.   
      
   "I am hoping that people with MCI who are experiencing stress or anxiety but   
   are not able to find the time, or are putting off, engaging in those lifestyle   
   interventions like exercise will be more strongly motivated to do so as a   
   result of our study's    
   findings," Mah added.   
      
   Treating Anxiety to Thwart Alzheimer's   
   Experts believe that late-life depression poses a significant risk in terms of   
   developing Alzheimer's. Doctors routinely screen older patients for   
   depression, but not anxiety.   
      
   There has been research on the use of mindfulness-based stress reduction in   
   treating anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's -- and this is   
   showing promise.   
   Dr. Linda Mah, Rotman Research Institute   
   "Our findings suggest that clinicians should routinely screen for anxiety in   
   people who have memory problems because anxiety signals that these people are   
   at greater risk for developing Alzheimer's," Mah said.   
      
   Mah said there is no evidence to show that anti-anxiety drugs can manage   
   anxiety in those with MCI or decrease their risk of developing Alzheimer's.   
      
   "We think that, at the very least, behavioral stress management programs could   
   be recommended," Mah said. "In particular, there has been research on the use   
   of mindfulness-based stress reduction in treating anxiety and other   
   psychiatric symptoms in    
   Alzheimer's -- and this is showing promise."   
      
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   The researchers also found that MCI patients with anxiety had greater rates of   
   atrophy, or stunting, in their brains' medial temporal lobe -- a part of the   
   brain that creates memories and is often compromised in Alzheimer's patients.   
   Mah said some animal    
   studies have demonstrated that anxiety and stress can also damage the   
   hippocampus, which is another part of the brain involved in forming memories.   
      
   She said that anxiety symptoms reported at any point in the study predicted   
   greater damage to brain regions that are implicated or abnormal in Alzheimer's.   
      
   Having MCI doesn't mean that a person will automatically develop Alzheimer's;   
   some people see improvement in their cognitive power. The study shows,   
   however, that anxiety can be a "predictive factor" to forecast whether an MCI   
   patient is likely to    
   develop the disease.   
      
   According to previous research, Mah said, MCI patients with anxiety have   
   abnormal levels of plasma amyloid protein and T-tau proteins in their   
   cerebrospinal fluid, which is an indicator of Alzheimer's. Chronic stress and   
   depression have also been tied to    
   a smaller hippocampus and a higher risk of dementia.   
      
   http://www.healthline.com/health-news/anxiety-speeds-cognitive-i   
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