Science Daily, recently reported on new findings regarding neuroimaging and an increased ability to ‘see’ Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stage. As you’ve read here before, earlier diagnosis will ultimately to improved treatment, possibly slowing the progression of the disease.

Researches at UCLA followed 169 study participants diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), the stage between the cognitive decline associated with normal aging and the more serious changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Over a three year period, they took pictures of the brains of the individuals in the study, using sophisticated imaging and noting subtle changes over time.

After three years, the researches observed that the individuals who converted from MCI to Alzheimer’s disease showed changes in the hippocampus of the brain, specifically a 10-30 percent atrophy. The early changes noted in the brain imaging appeared before participants reported any decrease in functional ability related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Lianna Apostolova, senior author, of the study’s related paper and a member of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging stated, ““We feel this is an important finding because it is in living humans.” She went on to say, “Now we have a sensitive technique that shows the ‘invisible’ – this is, the progression of a disease before symptoms appear.”

I have recently been inspired by a group of residents, living with Alzheimer’s disease, at Neville Place, a community managed by Senior Living Residences (www.SeniorLivingResidences.com). The residents have spent the last three months working on an exercise program with two students from Tufts University’s Occupational Therapy Department.

The student interns and the residents worked on building endurance and strength with exciting results. In the exercise group, the students asked the residents to do a little more each week, pushing them towards a new, but reachable goal. Over a period of ten weeks, the residents increased the amount of time they spent exercising, increased their repetitions in the movement group, and enjoyed the results.

Prior to the work with the student interns, the residents had participated in daily exercise, but they were all willing and able to do a little more. Research shows that exercise is an important part of maintaining cognitive health and may slow the progression of cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Having enjoyed all of my holiday celebrations, I now begin to think about the new year. It certainly seems that exercise should be a priority.  And, do I have some motivation!

Recently,  Senior Living Residences (SLR), www.SeniorLivngResidences.com,  teamed up with its academic affiliate, the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center (BU ADC), www.bu.edu/alzresearch, to raise more than $10,000 for research, education and care in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Our team included faculty, professionals, and volunteers from both SLR and the BU ADC. We joined thousand of other Massachusetts residents taking part in Memory Walk, www.alz.org/memorywalk, a nationwide effort to raise vital funds for care, education, and research.

Memory Walk is the nation’s largest Alzheimer’s event with more than 25,000 teams walking across the country. Across the Commonwealth, nearly 5,000 walk participants raised more than $1.7 million (and counting) to support the Alzheimer’s Association Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter, www.alz.org/manh.

Having my own family history of Alzheimer’s disease, I was particularly interested in some recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA). Last month, JAMA reported findings from a compelling study describing a direct connection between diet and cognitive health. Researchers found that individuals who follow a “Mediterranean-type diet” have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, individuals who adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 32-40 percent decreased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. In the same study, adherence to the diet combined with physical activity resulted in a 61-67 percent risk reduction for developing the disease.

Focusing on innovation, Senior Living Residences, www.seniorlivingresidences.com, has been implementing a cognitively protective diet and nutrition program for the past two years. The Memory Preservation Nutrition® program, developed by and implemented in conjunction with Nancy Emerson Lombardo, PhD, is a unique evidence-based program incorporating foods and spices, specifically selected for their nutrient-rich properties and linked in research to healthy cognition, into everyday diet to improve overall brain health. The program seeks to improve brain function, decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease for an individual who has already been diagnosed.

The main foods that are indicated through the program include fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables, specific spices, whole grains, and foods containing omega-three fatty acids. All of the healthy foods in the right combinations provide the body with important disease-fighting antioxidants, nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties and also help to regulate blood sugar. These changes are all important for brain health, yours and mine.

To read more about the Memory Preservation Nutrition® program, visit http://www.seniorlivingresidences.com/senior-living-residences-launches-innovative-nutrition-program.