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☆ Routine jobs raise the risk of cognitive decline by 66% and dementia by 37%, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Having a routine job with little mental stimulation during your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s was linked to a 66% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 37% greater risk of dementia after the age of 70, according to the study, when compared with having a job with high cognitive and interpersonal demands. Attending college, for example, reduced the impact of a repetitive job by about 60% but didn’t fully negate the risk. Routine jobs that were not classified as “cognitively protective” often involved repetitive manual and mental tasks, such as is typical of factory work and bookkeeping. “Most people in routine jobs in our sample included housekeepers, custodians, construction workers and mail carriers,” Edwin said. More cognitively demanding jobs were not based on routine tasks, even though repetition was required at times.

Persons: ”, Dr, Trine Edwin, Edwin said, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Edwin, Edwin, It’s, ” Isaacson Organizations: CNN, Oslo University Hospital, American Academy of Neurology, “ Locations: Norway, Florida

☆ How to fight dementia, according to neurologists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

What about diabetes, cancer, thyroid disease, high blood pressure or heart disease? Some of the questions might seem unexpected to those who don’t write about brain health. However, my risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common type after Alzheimer’s disease, is elevated. "Such spikes cause brain inflammation, disrupt brain metabolism and increase shrinkage of the thinking part of the brain," Isaacson said. The National Institute on Aging currently supports nearly 500 active clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Persons: Louise Dittner, Krysta, Ryan LaMotte, It’s, ”, Natalia Rost, “, Rost, ” Rost, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, mockingbird …, birthed, it’s, I’ve, Isaacson, Sandee LaMotte Organizations: CNN, Comprehensive, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, American Academy of Neurology, Boca Raton, Weill Cornell Medicine, Presbyterian, Mayo Clinic, Volunteers, Alzheimer’s, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, neonatologists, Florida, United, New York, New York City, Nature

☆ Ukraine claims Russian forces using Starlink internet service
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Maria Kostenko | Simon Cullen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence claims it has confirmed the use of Starlink satellite communications by Russian forces in occupied areas. It says it has intercepted conversations which indicate the Starlink terminals are being used to provide internet access to Russia’s 83rd Air Assault Brigade operating in the Donetsk region. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, which owns Starlink, says it does not do business of any kind with the Russian government or its military. Starlink, which uses a network of satellites to provide broadband, says its service will not work in Russia, although the statement didn’t address whether it would work in occupied Ukraine. As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” Isaacson writes.

Persons: CNN —, Kyrylo Budanov, “, ”, Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Musk, ” Isaacson, Isaacson Organizations: CNN, CNN — Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, Russian, Air Assault Brigade, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, SpaceX, Main Ukrainian Intelligence Locations: Donetsk, Russia, Ukraine, Crimean, Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea

☆ Rare cases of possible Alzheimer’s transmission uncovered in recipients of discontinued medical treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

All five adults had growth hormone deficiency as children and received pituitary growth hormones prepared in a specific way from cadavers. The treatment approach was discontinued after cases of a rare brain disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were found to be associated with the administration of contaminated human growth hormone from cadavers. Although Alzheimer’s is not a prion disease, some separate research suggests that the two proteins that are hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid beta and tau — behave like prions. “This study suggests that in very rare circumstances Alzheimer’s disease may be transmitted between humans via human growth hormone from deceased donors. “I’m also intrigued by how these results may inform potential therapeutic targets and strategies in the future,” Isaacson said, regarding Alzheimer’s disease.

Persons: John Collinge, Jakob, Creutzfeldt – Jakob, Alzheimer’s, ” Collinge, ’, –, ” Dr, Susan Kohlhaas, ” Kohlhaas, “ It’s, Dr, Richard Isaacson, ”, Isaacson, “ I’m, ” Isaacson, “, Gargi Banerjee, ” Banerjee, James Galvin, Sanjay Gupta, ” Galvin, Lewy Organizations: CNN, Nature, University College London Institute, University College London, National Hospital for Neurology, Neurosurgery, Alzheimer’s Research, Science Media, Comprehensive, Brain Health, University of Miami Health, CNN Health Locations: United Kingdom, United States, United, Florida, UHealth, Creutzfeldt

☆ New blood test that screens for Alzheimer’s may be a step closer to reality, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that affects memory and thinking skills, is the most common type of dementia, according to the National Institutes of Health. “A blood test being negative speeds up the investigation for other causes of the symptoms and this is just as important,” Ashton said. Isaacson, who has researched blood biomarkers in people with no or minimal cognitive complaints, likened testing blood samples for signs of Alzheimer’s disease to how people undergo routine blood tests for high cholesterol. It is possible that currently available treatments for Alzheimer’s disease would work better in those diagnosed early in this way,” he said. The combination of a simple screening test with an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease would have a dramatic impact for individuals and for society.”

Persons: ” Nicholas Ashton, Ashton, ”, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, antiamyloid, immunoassay, ” Ashton, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, Isaacson, ‘, “, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, David Curtis, ” Curtis Organizations: CNN, University of Gothenburg, National Institutes of Health, Quest Diagnostics, Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association, Get CNN, CNN Health, University College London, Science Media Locations: Sweden, United States, Wisconsin, Pau, Florida

☆ Address 12 health factors to prevent brain disease, research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The 21-point Brain Care Score refers to how a person fares on 12 health-related factors concerning physical, lifestyle and social-emotional components of health, according to the study published December 1 in the journal Frontiers in Neurology. Those in their 50s had a 32% lower risk of dementia and a 52% lower chance of stroke. Participants older than 59 had the lowest estimates, with an 8% lower risk of dementia and a 33% lower risk of stroke. But in terms of explaining the overall findings, many past studies have affirmed the benefits of these health components for brain health. “But as scientists, we always want to see proof.”Participating in studies like this one can be a good way to manage your brain health, Isaacson said — especially if you have limited access to health care.

Persons: ”, Jonathan Rosand, Kistler, “, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson wasn’t, ” Isaacson, it’s, ‘, Isaacson, ” Rosand, — Organizations: CNN, BCS, McCance, Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, National Institutes of Health Locations: Massachusetts, United States, United Kingdom, Florida

Until the embittered end, Henry Kissinger was one of the trusted few of a distrusting Richard Nixon. Political Cartoons View All 1273 Images“No doubt my vanity was piqued,” Kissinger later wrote of his expanding influence during Watergate. Two years later, Saigon fell to the communists, leaving a bitter taste among former U.S. allies who blamed Nixon, Kissinger and Congress for abandoning them. “The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy,” Kissinger tells Nixon. And so they did — the Quaker-born Nixon, the Jewish-born Kissinger, on the floor, Nixon in tears about the unfairness of his fate.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Kissinger, Nixon, Gerald Ford, ” Kissinger, ” Ford, “, ”, Donald Trump’s, Trump, ” —, —, — Kissinger, Robert Dallek, Walter Isaacson, David Frost, Isaacson, scrawled, Susan Mary Alsop, Stanley Kutler, “ Henry Kissinger, Jeffrey Kimball, starlets, Kissinger squired, Jill St, John, Shirley MacLaine, Marlo Thomas, Candice Bergen, Liv Ullmann, ” Nixon, H.R, Haldeman, Henry, It’s, Nancy Maginnes, Nelson Rockefeller, Gallup, Le Duc Tho, Tho, Walter, ” Walter, “ Kissinger, Ford, you’ve, ” “, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Kissinger demurred, Chile’s, Eisenhower, Augusto Pinochet, Pinochet, ” Peter Kornbluh, ” Heinz Alfred Kissinger, Heinz, Joe DiMaggio ”, Kennedy, Johnson, he’d “, William Rogers, Melvin Laird, Townsend Hoopes, deflating, ” Isaacson, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan’s, diplomat’s Kissinger, George W, Bush, Long, didn’t, Bush “, Anneliese Fleischer, Elizabeth, David, extol Nixon, ” ___, Barry Schweid Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Democratic, “ PBS, ”, National Security Council, State Department, Vietnam, Nixon, Hollywood, Playboy, Newsweek, America, Columbia University, Senate Armed Services Committee, White, Washington Post, New York Times, Yankee, Army, Harvard, Weapons, Rogers, Defense, Manhattan, New York Giants, Lincoln, diplomat’s Kissinger Associates, GOP Locations: U.S, Vietnam, China, Nazi Germany, Southeast Asia, Latin America, United States, Saigon, Soviet Union, White, Cambodia, South Vietnam, Khmer Rouge, Soviet, America, Chile, London, Pinochet, Bavarian, Fuerth, Manhattan, Germany, Pakistan, Beijing, Iraq, Afghanistan, American

He initiated the Paris talks that ultimately provided a face-saving means to get the United States out of war in Vietnam. “No doubt my vanity was piqued,” Kissinger later wrote of his expanding influence during Watergate. Kissinger called women “a diversion, a hobby.” Isaacson wrote that Hollywood executives were eager to set him up with starlets, whom Kissinger squired to premieres and showy restaurants. That “incursion,” as Nixon and Kissinger called it, was blamed by some for contributing to Cambodia’s fall into the hands of Khmer Rouge insurgents. But records from the Nixon era, released over the years, brought with them revelations that sometimes cast him in a harsh light.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, — Kissinger, Nixon, “, ” Kissinger, ”, Walter Isaacson, “ Kissinger, Kissinger, ” Isaacson, starlets, Kissinger squired, Jill St, John, Shirley MacLaine, Marlo Thomas, Candice Bergen, Liv Ullmann Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hollywood, Playboy, Newsweek, National Security Council, Republican, Democratic Locations: United States, China, Vietnam, Soviet Union, White, Cambodia, South Vietnam, Khmer, Southeast Asia, Latin America

☆ Bigger belly in 40s and 50s linked to early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Inflammation from belly fat may be linked to the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease decades before symptoms begin, new research has found. “That’s important because brain atrophy is another biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease,” Raji said. “These are people who, if they do develop Alzheimer’s disease, it won’t happen for another 20 or 25 more years. “Regardless of weight, people should find out if they have hidden visceral fat,” Raji said. Visceral fat ‘easier to lose’There’s good news: Visceral fat responds well to diet and exercise, Raji said.

Persons: “, ”, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson, Cyrus Raji, St . Louis, ” Raji, Dr, Mahsa, Raji, ” Isaacson, It’s Organizations: CNN, Washington University School of Medicine, Radiology Society, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic Locations: Florida, St .

☆ Sweet spot for HRT may reduce dementia risk by nearly a third, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Just how harmful or helpful hormone replacement therapy may be also depends on the type of hormones that are prescribed, especially at older ages. Estrogen-only hormone therapy can be prescribed if the uterus has been removed via hysterectomy. Scientists are developing a new generation of hormone replacement called selective estrogen receptor modulator, or SERM. Scientists are working on new forms of hormone replacement therapy that go directly to the brain, thus making them safer for menopausal women. In addition, some women are not candidates for hormone replacement therapy, perhaps due to family history, heart conditions or clotting disorders.

Persons: hasn’t, “, ”, Lisa Mosconi, Mosconi, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, gynecologists, midlife, ” Mosconi Organizations: CNN, Weill Cornell Medicine, “ Locations: New York City, midlife, Florida

☆ Loss of slow-wave sleep raises dementia risk, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Loss of slow-wave sleep as you age may increase your risk of developing dementia, according to a new study. Slow-wave sleep is the third stage of sleep, which is important for brain health. Each percentage decrease in slow-wave sleep per year was linked with a 27% increased risk of developing dementia and a 32% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. The rate of slow-wave sleep loss accelerated from age 60, peaked from ages 75 to 80 and slowed afterward. “This is an important study yet again showing the impact of quality of sleep on a person’s risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Isaacson said.

Persons: ”, Matthew P, Pase, “, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson wasn’t, ” Pase, ” Isaacson, it’s, Rudolph Tanzi, Tanzi wasn’t, Pase’s Organizations: CNN, Monash University, Framingham Heart Study, US, Blood Institute, Study, Genetics, Aging Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, ” Locations: Australia, Florida, Framingham, Massachusetts

☆ Four takeaways from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Paul Glader | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —“You’ll never be successful,” Errol Musk in 1989 told his 17-year-old son Elon, who was then preparing to fly from South Africa to Canada to find relatives and a college education. That’s one of the scenes Walter Isaacson paints in his 670-page biography of Elon Musk, who is now the richest person who ever lived. In a 2022 email sent to Elon Musk on Father’s Day, Errol Musk said he was freezing and lacking electricity, asking his son for money. Isaacson’s book revealed Musk had a third child (Techno Mechanicus) with the musician Grimes in 2022, and Musk confirmed the revelation Sunday. “Stop falling for weird s—.”Are robocars, an AI company and a robot called Optimus on tap?

Persons: “ You’ll, Errol Musk, Elon, Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Isaacson, Musk, ” Musk, Errol, ” Elon Musk, ”, Covid, Anthony Fauci, Fauci, Grimes, “, ” Isaacson, Simon, Schuster Zilis, Zilis, Jenna, Musk’s, “ I’ve, Jared Birchall, Alex Spiro, Kimbal, Optimus, Sam Altman, Altman, Larry Page Organizations: CNN, Blacks, Defamation League, Elon, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Tesla Locations: South Africa, Canada, United States, Texas

☆ An explosive Elon Musk biography is just hitting shelves. But the book’s acclaimed author is already walking back a major claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Walter Isaacson’s highly anticipated biography on Elon Musk is hitting shelves on Tuesday — and he is already walking back a major claim. Over the weekend, The Post updated the excerpt it had published and offered a correction to its readers. “After publication of this adaptation, the author learned that his book mischaracterized the attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on the Russian fleet in Crimea,” the correction stated. This version reflects that change.”CNN also updated its story on Monday, noting Isaacson had backpedaled his initial claims. “After this story published, Walter Isaacson clarified his explanation regarding Elon Musk restricting Ukrainian military access to Starlink, a critical satellite internet service,” an editor’s note said.

Persons: CNN — Walter Isaacson’s, Elon Musk, —, Isaacson, Musk, “, Vladimir Putin’s, Starlink, ” Musk, ” Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Simon & Schuster, Newsrooms, “ Musk, Walter Isaacson, ” Organizations: CNN, Elon, Eastern, Russian, SpaceX, Washington Post, Tulane University Locations: Russian, Crimea, Crimean, ”, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Washington

CNN —Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite systems are being used by Ukrainian forces on all front lines in the war with Russia, the country’s spy chief has said. You can say what you want about whether [Starlink systems] are good or bad, but facts are facts. Absolutely all front lines are using them,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate, said Saturday, according to Interfax Ukraine. The spy chief also gave a positive account of the difference Starlink is making in the war. “I can absolutely confirm that Starlink systems did not work for a certain period of time near Crimea.

Persons: CNN — Elon, “, ” Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Victor Pinchuk, ” Budanov, That’s, Walter Isaacson, “ Elon Musk, Musk, ” Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Musk Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Main Ukrainian Intelligence, Victor, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Russian, SpaceX Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Yalta, Crimea, Crimean, Ukrainian, Russian, Sevastopol

☆ Elon Musk Wants to Save Humanity. The Only Problem: People.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Jennifer Szalai | More About Jennifer Szalai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Isaacson describes Musk stalking the factory floor of Tesla, his electric car company, issuing orders on the fly. “If I don’t make decisions,” Musk explained, “we die.”By “we,” Musk presumably meant Tesla in that instance. But Musk likes to speak of his business interests in superhero terms, so it’s sometimes hard to be sure. At one point, Isaacson asks why Musk is so offended by anything he deems politically correct, and Musk, as usual, has to dial it up to 11. Isaacson has ably conveyed that Musk doesn’t truly like pushback.

Persons: Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, ” Walter Isaacson’s, —, ”, ” Isaacson, Musk, Isaacson, Tesla, ” Musk, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Grimes Organizations: ELON, SpaceX Locations: South Africa

☆ New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire's Ukraine dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But the episode reveals the unique position Musk found himself in as the war in Ukraine unfolded. Even as cellular phone and internet networks had been destroyed, the Starlink terminals allowed Ukraine to fight and stay connected. But once Ukraine began to use Starlink terminals for offensive attacks against Russia, Musk started to second-guess that decision. “How am I in this war?” Musk asks Isaacson. SpaceX had spent tens of millions of its own money sending the satellite equipment to Ukraine, according to Musk.

Persons: CNN — Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson’s, Elon Musk, ” Isaacson, Isaacson, Simon & Schuster, Musk, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, “ Starlink, ” Musk, Joe Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Mark Milley, Mykhailo Fedorov, “, —, ” Fedorov, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Ukraine “, –, tweeting, ” Gwynne Shotwell, Shotwell, Elon Organizations: CNN, Russian, SpaceX, Netflix, Reuters, Pentagon, US Locations: Crimean, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Crimea, Ukraine, Washington, Moscow

☆ Alzheimer’s first signs may appear in your eyes, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Getty ImagesResearch has been exploring how the eye may help in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin. “Alzheimer’s disease begins in the brain decades before the first symptoms of memory loss,” said Dr. Richard Isaacson, an Alzheimer’s preventive neurologist who is also at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Researchers then compared samples from donors with normal cognitive function to those with mild cognitive impairment and those with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in February in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, found significant increases in beta-amyloid, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, in people with both Alzheimer’s and early cognitive decline. Tissue atrophy and inflammation in cells in the far periphery of the retina were most predictive of cognitive status, the study found.

☆ Experimental drug appears to slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trial but raises safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It involved 1,795 adults, ages 50 to 90, with mild cognitive impairment due to early Alzheimer’s disease or mild Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Such a score is consistent with early Alzheimer’s disease, with a higher number associated with more cognitive impairment. By 18 months, the CDR-SB score went up 1.21 points in the lecanemab group, compared with 1.66 in the placebo group. Overall, there were serious adverse events in 14% of the lecanemab group and 11.3% of the placebo group. The researchers also wrote that about 0.7% of participants in the lecanemab group and 0.8% of those in the placebo group died, corresponding to six deaths documented in the lecanemab group and seven in the placebo group.

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