Presentations Focus on Impact of Stress and Personality Traits on Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment
NEW YORK (July 9, 2014) Researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present new findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) being held July 12 – July 17 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Data from the four abstracts will focus on triggers that could prompt transition from cognitive normality to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The research is part of the Einstein Aging Study, established in 1980 to examine healthy brain aging as well as the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease.
The exponential growth of the world’s elderly population is leading to a rapid increase in the number of individuals with dementia,” said Richard B. Lipton, M.D., director, Division of Cognitive Aging and Dementia, Montefiore and director, Einstein Aging Study, professor and vice chair of neurology and the Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology, Einstein. “Our research should help doctors gauge vulnerability for dementia and reveal potential strategies that may preserve cognitive function later in life. We look forward to discussing these findings with our colleagues from around the world at this important meeting."
Montefiore and Einstein researchers have been leaders in the field of neurology for more than 30 years and will share new insights on dementia-risk factors at AAIC, including the impact of perceived stress on dementia onset.
"At this year’s meeting, we will focus on our research into the effect of stress on cognitive impairment, particularly in people with certain personality traits, such as neuroticism,” said Mindy Joy Katz, M.P.H., senior associate in the department of Neurology at Einstein. Stress is manageable – in contrast to our lack of effective treatments for cognitive impairment – so this presents a way we may be able to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”