With an aging population, rates of dementia will only climb, yet doctors have few effective strategies for addressing the worst symptoms.
Mild cognitive impairment, in which older adults show lapses in memory and other mental functions that aren’t serious enough to impair
With an aging population, rates of dementia will only climb, yet doctors have few effective strategies for addressing the worst symptoms.
Mild cognitive impairment, in which older adults show lapses in memory and other mental functions that aren’t serious enough to impair their daily activities, affects about 10% to 20% of those over age 70. Each year, about 10% of these people will progress to develop dementia, a more serious form of impairment that can drastically affect their independence and ability to function. But despite the growing proportion of the population that may be affected by these conditions, an analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that there are few effective options for treating the condition.
The researchers reviewed 32 randomized controlled trials, in which patients were randomly assigned to either an intervention such as drugs to control cognitive decline, herbal remedies, physical activity or mental exercises including crossword puzzles; or left to continue living their lives without any changes. By comparing the various methods of treating cognitive decline, the scientists hoped to come up with some ranking of how effective the various interventions were.
They did not find strong evidence to support medications such as donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor designed to help brain chemicals keep neural circuits involved in cognition active. Studies have long hinted that such prescription drugs are only minimally effective in staving off the symptoms of dementia, but with so few medications to treat dementia available, many physicians continue to prescribe the medications since they c