This article doesn’t go into the research in depth, but it does contain some surprising research facts about the benefits of reading, including comparing reading fiction to reading non-fiction. (Hint: fiction has benefits!)

Read the news article to encourage yourself to read more books!

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/why-getting-lost-book-so-good-you-according-science-ncna893256

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/

If you are serious about changing your diet, consider these helpful tips:

1. Instead of trying to cut something completely out of your diet, replace undesired components with desired ones.  For example, instead of avoiding pasta, try eating “pasta” sliced from fresh vegetables, like curls of squash.

2. Experiment with “paleo” recipes to substitute good fats for carbs.

3. Make small changes that you can continue for the long term.  Attempts to make radical changes to your diet are more likely to only last a short time.

Happy new year!  I hope the changes you make help you feel your personal best!

Many physicians use the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or similar brief screening measures when a patient or patient’s family members bring up memory concerns.  However, physicians may consider referring a patient to neuropsychological testing for many reasons, including the following:

• The MMSE test is not very sensitive, missing between 23 and 55 percent of Mild Cognitive Impairment, which can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders
• Neuropsychological testing can catch indicators of neurodegenerative decline well before a patient or family member might notice.
• Neuropsychological testing can give a more detailed picture of a patient’s difficulties.  For example, are reported memory problems the result of trouble with encoding, consolidation, or retrieval, or a combination of all of these?  Are reported memory problems partially due to other deficits like problems with attention or processing speed?
• A patient or family may dismiss memory issues as normal aging, even if they’re not
• A patient may want reassurance that memory issues are just normal aging
• A physician or patient may desire an objective testing baseline to compare against future possible decline
• A patient may need more concrete proof of decline in order to encourage compliance with prescribed therapies
• A physician or patient may want more thorough objective measures to determine whether certain therapies are helping

For more information, please see my more detailed blog and referenced literature at http://craigsiders.com/index.php/2014/08/neuropsychology-and-early-diagnosis-of-alzheimers-disease-and-other-neurodegenerative-disorders/

If you have any questions about referring a patient for neuropsychological testing, please feel free to contact us.

The following list may help you identify whether the memory failures you are noticing are typical or something that is rarer and may be a sign of some condition affecting the brain.  These should not be used as the sole basis for determining whether or not to get an evaluation.  If you believe you need an evaluation, then you should contact a doctor immediately. 

Some common memory failures that are generally typical for anyone and not considered abnormal are:

• Forgetting the name of an acquaintance or extended family member who is rarely seen
• Forgetting the location of commonly used items (e.g. keys, wallet)
• Forgetting where you parked your car
• Occasionally getting lost on the way to unfamiliar locations
• Occasionally entering a room and forgetting why you decided to go to that room
• An occasional missed appointment

Memory failures that are not typical in normal age-related memory decline include:

• Forgetting the names of close friends or family members
• Frequently forgetting important dates or events
• Getting lost on the way to places you have visited regularly for years
• Missing multiple appointments
• Frequently repeating yourself during conversations (noticed by either you or pointed out by others)
• Withdrawal or loss of interest in activities
• Difficulty doing activities that you have routinely done in the past (e.g. balancing a check book, paying bills, grocery shopping, laundry)
• Misplacing important items and being unable to retrace steps to find them
• Not remembering how you arrived at a location

A neuropsychological evaluation can detect small changes in brain functioning that may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease or some other condition affecting the brain.  Results of tests are interpreted in a way that is unique to you.  That is, the results are compared to others who are the same age and have approximately the same level of education as you.  For many of our tests, we can compare your results to large groups of people all the way up to 105 years old.

If you notice signs of memory decline or other changes in brain functioning, please contact your doctor and ask about a neuropsychological evaluation.

Unfortunately, many who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease are not diagnosed until they have experienced significant decline in cognitive ability and loss of daily functioning. 

This may occur because Alzheimer’s disease can make someone unaware of their own cognitive deficits. Often, someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will not report difficulties with memory and other symptoms.  Even when symptoms are known, many people will hide their difficulties from family members or clinicians out of fear that they will lose their independence.  It is important to note that early treatment is generally the most effective way to prolong a patient’s independence, so early diagnosis, as frightening as it may seem, is a patient’s best chance for leading as full a life as possible.

Even when symptoms are reported to a clinician, many clinicians will base their diagnostic decisions on screening tests that are not sensitive to subtle cognitive declines indicative of a neurodegenerative disorder in the early stages.  For example, the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) still remains the most commonly used test to screen for cognitive deficits. However, in several studies involving participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, a term describing less intense level of cognitive impairment which is thought to signify a neurodegenerative disorder at the early stages), the MMSE displayed questionable sensitivity. Specifically, among these studies, the percent of those suffering from MCI who fell below the most optimal MMSE cut off score ranged from 45 to 77 percent (Cruz-Orduna et al., 2012; Cullen et al., 2005; Kaufer et al., 2008; Saxton et al., 2009; Tariq et al., 2006). This means that the proportion of those with MCI who were missed by the MMSE ranged from 23 to 55 percent in these studies. 

Fortunately, there are a number of neuropsychological tests that are designed to be sensitive to even subtle changes in cognitive ability associated with neurodegenerative disorders in the early stages.  These tests compare persons taking the test to those who are nearly the same age and sometimes same level of education to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis.  A thorough neuropsychological evaluation can help detect brain diseases early, which means that intervention can take place sooner.  Prompt treatment can slow cognitive decline and delay the necessity for less desired and more costly interventions such hospitalization and/or group home placement.

References

Cruz-Orduna I., Bellon J.M., Torrero P., Aparicio, E., Sanz, A., Mula, N., Marzana, G., Begue, C., Cabezon, D., & Olazaran, J. (2012). Detecting MCI and dementia in primary care: Efficiency of the MMS, the FAQ and the IQCODE. Family Practice, 29(4), 401–6.

Cullen B., Fahy S., Cunningham C.J., Coen, R.F, Bruce, I., Greene, E., Coakley, D., Walsh, J.B., & Lawlor, B.A. (2005). Screening for dementia in an Irish community sample using MMSE: a comparison of norm-adjusted versus fixed cut-points. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), 371–6.

Kaufer D.I., Williams C.S., Braaten A.J., Gill, K., Zimmerman, S., & Sloane, P.D. (2008). Cognitive screening for dementia and mild cognitive impairment in assisted living: comparison of 3 tests. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 9(8), 586–93.

Saxton J., Morrow L., Eschman A., Archer, G., Luther, J., & Zuccolotto, A. (2009). Computer assessment of mild cognitive impairment. Postgraduate Medicine, 121(2), 177–85.

Sperling, R.A., Aisen, P.S., Beckett, L.A., Bennett, D.A., Craft, S., Fagan, A.M., Iwatsubo, T., Jack, C.R., & Kaye, J. (2011). Toward defining the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association workgroup.  Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 7(3), 280-292.

Tariq S.H., Tumosa N., Chibnall J.T., Perry, M.H., & Morley, J.E. (2006). Comparison of the Saint   LouisUniversity mental status examination and the Mini-Mental State Examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder—a pilot study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(11), 900–10.