Simply getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses
often called senior moments, according to a new study by
researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The study,
published in the September 15, 2010, online issue of Neurology,
the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found
that even the very early mild changes in memory that are much
more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same
brain lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other
dementias. “The very early mild cognitive changes once thought
to be normal aging are really the first signs of progressive
dementia, in particular Alzheimer’s disease.” said Robert
S.Wilson, PhD, neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical
Center. “The pathology in the brain related to Alzheimer’s and
other dementias has a much greater impact on memory function in
old age than we previously recognized.” The study involved over
350 nuns, priests and brothers who participated in Rush’s
Religious Orders Study and completed up to