Like a lot of people my age, there are times when I can\u2019t find my keys, or my sunglasses, or my phone.<\/p>\n
Now and again, I\u2019ll get an idea to look something up, reach for my computer, and forget what it was.<\/p>\n
Normal aging? <\/p>\n
Signs of cognitive impairment?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure, but if you have similar questions about yourself or a loved one, and you\u2019d like to know when to get help and what\u2019s available, you can get answers at three upcoming conferences hosted by Alzheimer\u2019s Los Angeles<\/a> (details below). An A-Team of experts will explain recent advances in prevention, early detection and treatment.<\/p>\n There are no cures yet for dementia, an umbrella term for cognitive disorders, of which Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common. But thanks to advances in recent years, drugs can treat some symptoms of mild and even moderate impairment, and with the number of dementia cases in the U.S. expected to double<\/a> by 2060 as the population ages and people live longer, there\u2019s hope for continued progress.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been \u201ca dramatic increase in the number of clinical trials testing new therapies,\u201d said Heather Cooper Ortner, president and chief executive of Alzheimer\u2019s Los Angeles. There\u2019s ongoing research into drugs that might \u201cenhance cognition or treat challenging behaviors like agitation, depression, hallucinations, and other neuro-psychiatric or behavioral symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n In just the last few months, doctors were encouraged by FDA approval in May<\/a> of a blood test that can help with early diagnosis of Alzheimer\u2019s, and with growing evidence that lifestyle choices can improve mental acuity.<\/p>\n \u201cThis happens to be a very exciting time,\u201d said Dr. David Reuben, director of the UCLA Alzheimer\u2019s and Dementia Care program. \u201cI just gave a talk on the state of dementia in 2025, and most of what we\u2019re talking about, 10 years ago would have been fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re among the millions of people with risk factors for developing dementia, it might be possible not only to delay memory loss, but to improve mental function.<\/p>\n Without taking any medication.<\/p>\n The U.S. POINTER Study<\/a> tracked more than 2,000 people in five locations for two years, with a regimen of physical activity, brain exercises, healthy diet and social engagement. Northern California participants participated under the direction of UC Davis Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n None of the participants had a dementia diagnosis, but they had risk factors including family history, cardiovascular disease, poor diets and sedentary lifestyles.<\/p>\n Half the group had coaching, the other half was on its own.<\/p>\n Both groups showed cognitive improvement, as reported in the Journal of American Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you do that is good for your body is also good for your brain,\u201d said Dr. Dung Trinh, a researcher at the Healthy Brain Clinic<\/a> in Long Beach and a board member at Alzheimer\u2019s Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Dr. Zaldy Tan, medical director of Cedars-Sinai\u2019s Memory and Aging Program, was in the Toronto audience when the POINTER results were announced, as was Trinh.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you there was a standing ovation,\u201d Tan said.<\/p>\n Some experts noted the improvements could be explained at least in part by what\u2019s known as \u201cpractice effect,\u201d<\/a> meaning that participants became better at cognitive testing with multiple screenings. But the study was based on one conducted a decade ago, in Finland, which had similar findings.<\/p>\n Trinh said he preaches the same lifestyle choices to patients.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw an increase in Alzheimer\u2019s and memory decline during the pandemic, when we were all shut down and nobody was socializing,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was greater risk of mental health issues, including cognitive issues. It has everything to do with using your brain to connect, to socialize, to have purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n The POINTER participants, who were between 60 and 79, followed the MIND diet<\/a>, a variation of the Mediterranean diet. Lots of vegetables (especially leafy), berries, beans, nuts, whole grains, fish and chicken. And very little fried and processed foods, red meat, cheese and sweets.<\/p>\n They did 30 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic activity four times a week, with strength and flexibility training twice a week. The program included three weekly 30-minute computer-based cognitive exercises, social activities and regular health monitoring.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems to be delaying the rate of brain aging,\u201d said Dr. Tan, but getting people to follow these guidelines on their own, in any large-scale way, would be a massive undertaking.<\/p>\n And half-measures might not produce desired outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe devil is in the details,\u201d Tan said. \u201cPeople with blood pressure of 145 over 95 might be told by their primary care physician \u2026 that\u2019s fine \u2026 just exercise more.\u201d<\/p>\n But they should work toward a blood pressure target of 120 over 80, he said, and the exercise can\u2019t be just a walk in the park.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more exercise you do, the better,\u201d said Reuben, a vegetarian who swims four days a week, jogs three days and does yoga on weekends. \u201cThe big benefit is going from sitting in front of the screen to doing something. I tell [patients] to start with five minutes, twice a day, and build up. A half-hour a day is when they start seeing a lot of gain.\u201d<\/p>\n In the early days of research, dementia was diagnosed only in autopsies, and later through spinal fluid or PET scans. In the continuing evolution of the science, the FDA-approved diagnostic blood test \u2014 which costs several hundred dollars and isn\u2019t yet covered by insurance \u2014 is a much simpler way to detect biomarkers for Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we realize the scope of the illness can start 15 years before there are symptoms,\u201d said Dr. Helena Chui, a Keck Hospital of USC neurologist and principal investigator of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center.<\/p>\n That gives doctors and patients a head start in either preventing or delaying progression of the disease with medical intervention or lifestyle changes, Chui said. She tells her patients to follow the Life\u2019s Essential Eight strategy.<\/p>\n Better diet, more exercise, no smoking, healthy sleep, and manage cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.<\/p>\n Drs. Chui, Reuben and Trinh will be among the experts elaborating on all of this at a conference on Saturday<\/a>, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Skirball Center. Another conference, in Spanish, will be held in Downey on Sept. 26, and another, geared toward the Black community, will be held Oct. 4 at Cal State Dominguez Hills.<\/p>\n