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An international research collaboration has found that high occupational complexity is associated with dementia-free survival time, highlighting the importance of maintaining cognitive stimulation throughout life for lowering the risk of dementia. The collaboration, led by UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), analysed 10,195 older adults across seven international studies from the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC).

University of Adelaide researchers have found important evidence supporting their theory that a deficiency of active iron in the brain is an important factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Mutations in a small number of genes can cause an inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease that afflicts people when they are relatively young. Currently, the dominant theory of what causes Alzheimer’s disease is that these mutated genes change the way a small protein fragment, Amyloid beta, is produced. Many researchers believe that Amyloid beta can build up, become toxic, and eventually destroy brain function.

People who eat a healthy diet during middle age have a larger brain volume than those with less healthy diets new research reveals, suggesting food choices in midlife may reduce the risk of dementia and other degenerative brain disorders as we age. Helen Macpherson, PhD from Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) studied the eating habits and brain volumes of adults aged between 40 to 65 and found those who ate a healthy variety of foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruit, grains and good oils, had more grey matter and larger brain volume than those whose diets included less of those foods.

While research has shown that poor cardiovascular health can damage blood flow to the brain increasing the risk for dementia, a new study led by UC San Francisco indicates that poor mental health may also take its toll on cognition. The research adds to a body of evidence that links depression with dementia, but while most studies have pointed to its association in later life, the UCSF study shows that depression in early adulthood may lead to lower cognition 10 years later and to cognitive decline in old age.