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Anthea Rowan

This is the 23rd instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
The first indication that my mother had had a stroke was evident in her eyesight.
She developed a condition called hemianopia, in which half the field of vision is lost because of damage to the optic nerve in the brain.
In her case, the loss was on the left.
To try to mimic what she could see post-stroke, I covered my left eye with the palm of my hand. When her therapist showed me a simulation on an iPad of how compromised her sight was, though, I discovered my crude attempt didn’t correctly convey her loss of vision: it was much worse than that.

If you cover an eye that sees well with a hand, the uncovered eye is still able to track to the left and the right. Hemianopia usually affects both eyes – mum was entirely blind to her left side.
If someone had approached her from that side, she wouldn’t have seen them until they were directly in front of her.
Your eyes could tell you whether you’ll get Alzheimer’s disease
There were a number of factors that may have contributed to my mother’s later diagnosis of dementia. Her compromised sight, it turns out, could have been one of them.
A recent study of 3,000 older adults by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the United States found that the risk of dementia was much higher among those with eyesight problems – including those who weren’t able to see well even when they were wearing their usual glasses or contact lenses.
They found that one-third of those with moderate or severe distance-vision impairment, including those who were blind, had signs of dementia.
Hong Kong eye treatment finding may help combat depression and dementia
Even among those with a mild distance-vision issue, 19 per cent had dementia. Those who had more than one kind of vision impairment were 35 per cent more likely to have dementia than those with normal vision.
The findings mirror those of previous studies, including one which found that elderly people who underwent cataract removal surgery had a 30 per cent lower risk of developing dementia compared with participants who did not have such surgery.
Cataracts are opacities on our eye lenses that blur our vision and, if not treated, lead to blindness.
With decreased visual input into the brain, there may be direct alteration in the brain’s anatomy that predisposes a person to cognitive decline and dementia
Joshua Ehrlich, ophthalmologist
There are several hypotheses as to why loss of vision might be a risk factor for dementia, says ophthalmologist Joshua Ehrlich, a lead author of the study.
“In some cases, there may be a common neurodegenerative or vascular cause of vision loss and dementia. Also, vision loss is associated with decreased physical activity and social engagement, both of which are risk factors for dementia.
“Another possibility is that losing vision decreases a person’s participation in cognitively stimulating activities that buffer against cognitive decline.

“Finally, with decreased visual input into the brain, there may be direct alteration in the brain’s anatomy that predisposes a person to cognitive decline and dementia.”
Ehrlich says the study tested only visual function, and did not include an examination to determine the causes of vision problems.
“We know that uncorrected/under-corrected refractive error (an unmet need for glasses or contact lenses) and cataracts are the most common and most easily reversible causes globally,” he added.
What to wear and eat to lower the risk of getting cataracts; experts’ view
Vision problems triggered in other ways, such as from glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, may be irreversible, but are often preventable with early detection and treatment.
Dr Orlando Chan, a Hong Kong-based specialist in ophthalmology, says cataracts are still the number one cause of blindness worldwide, but they are reversible.
Ageing is the most significant risk factor for sight-compromising conditions, Chan says. Aside from cataracts, other common eye diseases are glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.
AMD affects more people because the ageing population is on the rise, he says. It does not cause total blindness, but rather a central scotoma – or blind spot – in our field of vision.

Glaucoma is often referred to as the “silent thief of sight”, he says, because it is asymptomatic. Chan recalls seeing patients for the first time who have come to him with late-stage glaucoma.
People with glaucoma suffer from progressive loss of field of vision – which usually starts from the periphery, or outer edge. Despite this, their visual acuity can remain unchanged, meaning many can still see perfectly with 20/20 vision.
“Because the field of vision overlaps significantly, many patients can have substantial field loss before they notice anything,” Chan says.
This is why glaucoma screening is so crucial, he stresses, especially for high-risk individuals – which include people with a family history of glaucoma.
Glaucoma explained, and why you need to get your eyes checked
Those over the age of 50 should be having eye tests every year. A dilated eye exam can help diagnose conditions like glaucoma and AMD before they become dangerous, he says.
Aside from acute angle closure glaucoma, which presents with a sudden onset of severe eye pain or a headache that comes with blurred vision, seeing rainbow-coloured halos around lights, and vomiting, these conditions are usually painless, Chan says.
Any symptoms are usually gradual, so you should be on the lookout for progressive blurring of vision, photophobia (increased blurriness under bright conditions), metamorphopsia (distortions in vision); diplopia (seeing double); patchy visual field loss and micropsia/macropsia (in which one eye sees things smaller/larger in comparison to the other).
Seeing your ophthalmologist regularly, it turns out, is not just about making sure you can read well enough or even see well enough. It might even be about protecting your brain.
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Wellness

Is your distance vision bad? Your risk of getting dementia could be higher, study suggests

Your eyesight could affect your mental health, according to a recent study, which found a link between vision problems and a higher risk of dementia. Experts advise getting your vision checked regularly. Photo: Shutterstock

Hemianopia is a condition in which half the field of vision is lost because of damage to the optic nerve in the brain. It is usually caused by stroke or tumour. Photo: Shutterstock

Joshua Ehrlich led a study that found that the risk of dementia was much higher among those with eyesight problems. Photo: Scott C. Soderberg, Michigan Photography

Dr Orlando Chan, a Hong Kong-based specialist in ophthalmology, says cataracts are still the number one cause of blindness worldwide, but they are reversible. Photo: Dr Orlando Chan

Drama training gives Hong Kong retirees, including cancer survivor, self-worth, new skills and a platform to tell their life stories

Hong Kong’s Arts’ Options group holds drama courses for over-55s, and  plans to form the city’s first professional older-age acting troupe. Its courses give participants a new lease of life, and helped one fight cancer. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Arts’ Options programme graduate Berthold Chung (centre), with cast members Maggie Ng (left) and Caroline Ting (right), at a rehearsal for “The Libation Bearers”, a Greek tragedy translated into Cantonese. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The Arts’ Options drama programme brings people together and gives many a new purpose in life. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Saitama Gold Theatre, a drama group in Japan made up of elderly people, was the inspiration for Arts’ Options drama training course for over-55s in Hong Kong. Photo: Maiko Miyagawa

The drama training programme helps participants enhance their self-worth, and physical and mental well-being, says Arts’ Options executive director Rebecca Po (above). Photo: Jonathan Wong

An Arts’ Options’ rehearsal for “The Libation Bearers”. Its drama course has encouraged participants to socialise, move around and challenge themselves to complete tasks such as learning lines. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Alzheimer’s disease: how Hollywood comedy couple Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen make life easier for patients and carers

Hollywood comedy couple Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen founded Hilarity for Charity to make life easier for Alzheimer’s patients and their carers and raise awareness of the disease. Photo: Getty Images

Seth Rogen in a still from “Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity” in 2018. Photo: Netflix

Miller Rogen celebrates the 35th wedding anniversary of her parents, Adele and Scott, with Seth Rogen and her brother, Danny in 2008. Photo: courtesy Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen

Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, began organising a yearly comedy event to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s. Photo: Netflix

Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen in a still from “Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity” (2018). Photo: Netflix

How to live longer by more than 20 years: 8 expert tips for men and women to adopt before the age of 40

Doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week, including strength training on at least two or three days, is one of the habits a new study on how to live longer recommends. Photo: Shutterstock

Eating a healthy diet with more plant foods instead of processed foods lowers your risk of developing serious illness, the study found. Photo: Shutterstock

Nathan Price is a bioengineer and professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Washington. Photo: Institute for Systems Biology.

Opioids are highly addictive. Photo: Shutterstock

Adults should get seven to eight hours a night. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Family & Relationships

Decoding dementia

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother.

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Anthea with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Studies suggest that regular exercise lowers the risk of cognitive decline by 35 per cent. Photo: Getty Images

Staying active can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, studies suggest. Photo: Shutterstock

Why should you have a brain scan to test for dementia when there’s no cure? Knowing can help you delay its onset, neurologist says

It can be daunting to get a brain scan to test for signs of dementia, but a neurologist behind new research reveals the advantages of knowing early. Photo: Shutterstock

New research has found that dementia can be detected as early as nine years before symptoms manifest, and this could have significant implications for treatment. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Rittman, the neurologist who led the dementia research at Cambridge University. Photo: Cambridge University

A brain scan showing signs of dementia. Photo: Getty Images

Lizzie Perry, founder of This is Dementia, with her father, who was diagnosed with the disease at 58. Photo: This is Dementia

The approval in the US of a new drug that slows the onset of Alzheimer’s makes Rittman hopeful about the future of dementia treatment. Photo: Cambridge University

Why women are more likely to have dementia than men as they age, and how exercise and engagement can help lower your risk

Women may be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men for a number of reasons: biological, societal or cultural. Experts suggest exercise and social engagement can help offset the risk. Photo: Getty Images

The spread of tau – the protein that clumps into the telltale tangles of dementia – may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Female twins with a male co-twin were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than female twins with a female co-twin. Photo: Shutterstock

Prenatal care and monitoring pregnant women’s health is key, as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking regular exercise is key for women – and men – to reduce the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it

Having blood pressure that is too high or too low has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, but it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle that will help maintain optimal blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock


An optimal blood pressure reading, easily measured with a home device, is around 120/80. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Ruth Peters was lead author of a study looking at the links between blood pressure and dementia. Photo: Dr Ruth Peters

It’s never too late, or too early, to start thinking about brain health and living a healthy lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes may result from damage caused by impaired blood flow to the brain – which may be brought on by high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

6 dementia fighting tips from Dr Sanjay Gupta and Marc Milstein, experts on brain health – walk, talk, read, learn, relax, and eat and drink properly

We can protect ourselves against the risk of dementia with some simple lifestyle practices. Exercising (above), eating a good diet, drinking less alcohol, socialising, reading more and trying new things all help keep the brain sharp, say brain experts including Dr Sanjay Gupta. Photo: Shutterstock 

The cover of one of Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book. Photo: Simon & Schuster

The cover of Marc Milstein’s book. Photo: Marc Milstein

Drink alcohol mindfully and ask yourself why you are having that drink. Photo: Shutterstock

Learning new things creates new brain cell connections and helps keep your mind sharp. Photo: Shutterstock

Reading is good for brain health. Try to read a wide range of book styles, and join a book club to discuss with others what you are reading. Photo: Shutterstock

During sleep, our brains are restored and repaired, so relaxing is important if we’re going to get those seven hours of quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Relationships keep us engaged, interested and interesting, and may help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Like a light switch’: how sundowning syndrome affects dementia sufferers – and their carers; what it is and tips for how to cope

A person with dementia may experience “sundowning” syndrome - towards the end of the day they become more agitated, confused, panicked, resistant to instruction and restless. This affects their carers, too. Photo: Shutterstock

A person in bed, unable to sleep. Conservative estimates suggest about 20 per cent of dementia patients experience sundowning at some point.

Trey Todd is a neuroscientist at the University of Wyoming. Photo: Trey Todd

Sundowning was coined in 1987 by Lois Evans of Penn Nursing at Pennsylvania University. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

The pineal gland in our brain produces melatonin, which is what helps prompt us to sleep and awaken. In a broken system it is disrupted. Melatonin supplements might help fight sundowning. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a patient with sundowning syndrome for a walk at a consistent time each day, morning or evening, may alleviate symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting out into the daylight early in the day is good for our sleep patterns, whether we have dementia or not. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthy marriage, healthy mind? Dementia risk lower for people married a long time, studies show; expert suggests why

Research suggests that people who have stayed married for a long time have a lower risk for dementia because they feel less lonely, are more likely to eat well and exercise more, and are more cognitively engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Vegard Skirbekk is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Anthea Rowan’s parents on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

A long-time married partner represents a security that provides a buffer against stressors. Photo: Shutterstock

Anthea Rowan and her husband on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

If you live with a partner long term, you are more likely to develop healthy daily patterns, to eat well and exercise more. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Dementia village’ that’s the first of its kind helps residents live normal lives, has a restaurant, theatre and supermarket – and no one wears a white coat

Residents are free to live their lives as they like at the world’s first “dementia village”, The Hogeweyk in The Netherlands. Photo: The Hogeweyk

The Hogeweyk, a “dementia villlage” in the Netherlands, provides care and a familiar and safe environment in which people with dementia live while retaining their own identity and autonomy as much as possible. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Jannette Spiering is the senior managing adviser and co-founder at The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, which offers “humanising care for people with dementia”. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents relax around the fountain in the theatre square at The Hogeweyk. Photo: The Hogeweyk 

Residents of The Hogeweyk respond positively to their increased autonomy. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents at the healthcare facility take part in a painting class. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Hearing loss dramatically raises the risk of dementia, so why are so many people in midlife doing nothing to prevent it? A test is easy to arrange

Hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline,  say experts, who recommend testing for preventable hearing problems (above).  Photo: Getty Images

Alison Huang, a senior research associate at the Cochlear Centre at Johns Hopkins, in the US, says hearing loss makes the brain work harder to process sounds. Photo: Johns Hopkins

Jiang Fan from the School of Public Health at China’s Shandong University. Photo: Shandong University

Checking your hearing in midlife is crucial, and can help you stave off cognitive deterioration. Photo: Shutterstock

Can HRT reduce dementia risk? New hormone replacement therapy studies say yes, upending 2002 reports

HRT use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in all neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in dementia and other neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

If HRT is started after the age of 65, brain cells will have already been deprived of oestrogen for many years. This could mean there is a decline in neuronal connections – the brain’s messaging system. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT was found to be most effective when introduced early in menopause, says Anne Marie Minihane, director of the UK’s Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing at the University of East Anglia. Photo: University of East Anglia

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky from at the University of Galway in Ireland believes the “critical period” for starting HRT is within five years of menopause. Photo: University of Galway

How can you prevent dementia? Free brain health online tool teaches the risks and gives essential tips on avoiding it

The new free “Think Brain Health Check-in” online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK doesn’t test your memory but checks how well you’re looking after your brain and gives tips to help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Susan Mitchell is head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK. Photo: Dr Susan Mitchell

The Think Brain Health Check-in asks how often you challenge your brain - and then highlights why challenging your brain is key to staving off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is one way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness and made lifestyle changes to prevent them. Photo: Shutterstock

Can lack of sleep raise dementia risk? Yes, studies say – but with one exception

Having only five hours of sleep a night can increase dementia risk by 30 per cent for adults over 50, one study says. Photo: Shutterstock

One tip to overcome insomnia is to avoid clock-watching. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a warm shower or bath in the hour or so before bed may help you fall asleep – and stay asleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Roger Wong of the department of public health and preventive medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University. Photo: Roger Wong

Sleep aids can heighten dementia risk, Wong says. Photo: Shutterstock

Can’t sleep? Try getting up and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or making jam. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia and ACB scores: how common prescription and over-the-counter drugs raise the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Certain common drugs, including antihistamines, antacids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines, can disrupt the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, dubbed the “memory molecule” increasing the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

The writer, Anthea Rowan, with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Taking medications that block the action of acetylcholine can lead to memory loss, problems with spatial awareness, and cognitive decline. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies have found that anticholinergic drugs carried “significant’ dementia risk” for the over-65s. Photo: Shutterstock

Doctors need to be mindful of the risks posed by anticholinergic drugs, especially to an already at-risk population: the over 65s. Photo: Shutterstock

How to safeguard your ageing brain: build ‘cognitive reserve’ with mental and physical exercise, and stay active and socially engaged

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biological fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or bones. Photo:
Shutterstock

Our brains, like our muscles need regular use to stay healthy and flexible, say experts, and keeping our brains active builds our ‘cognitive reserve’, helping us to stave off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Geriatric psychiatrist Dr David Merrill recommends the active pursuit of activities that keep the brain sharp to stave off dementia. Photo: Dr David Merrill

Dorina Cadar says cultural and social engagement, reading, doing crossword puzzles, visiting art galleries, clubs and cinemas, and volunteering all increase our cognitive reserve. Photo: Dorina Cadar

Visiting an art gallery or doing something new and different are good ways to build up cognitive reserve. Photo: Shutterstock 

How yoga benefits dementia patients: new study uncovers brain-health boosts, supporting earlier research

Yoga has health benefits including better brain neuroplasticity, improved sleep quality, and more robust cardiorespiratory fitness, all of which help people experiencing cognitive decline or dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Diana Karamacoska is a research support programme fellow in healthy ageing and dementia at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. Photo: Courtesy of Diana Karamacoska

Yoga could be helpful in managing brain inflammation, particularly with its mindfulness component. Photo: Shutterstock

Wendy Du is the founder of Shan Studios in Hong Kong. Photo: Wendy Du/Shan Studios

Du has maintained a daily yoga practice for 10 years. Photo: Courtesy of Shan Studios

5 nutrients good for brain health that can delay dementia, or prevent it, and foods to eat with a high concentration of them

Research has identified some key nutrients we need in our diets to maintain good cognitive function and delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Eating healthy isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s good for our brains, too. Photo: Shutterstock

Zahinoor Ismail, of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. Photo: University of Calgary

Kale with pine nuts is a dish high in magnesium, and so good for brain function. Photo: Shutterstock

Oatmeal, and other wholegrain foods such as brown rice and quinoa, are rich in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Mackerel is a fish that is especially high in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Why you have to keep smiling at a dementia patient – you’ll feel better and it could evoke a positive response

A smile can bring a smile in return from a dementia patient, and may make them more amenable to your requests. Photo: Shutterstock

Author Anthea Rowan with her mother, who suffered from dementia. As a carer you’ve got to keep smiling, an expert on the condition tells her - and it’s not for the reason you might think. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Timothy Kwok, professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Director of the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Dementia sufferers cannot be reasoned with, and their emotions can run the gamut from highly positive to negative in the course of a day. Photo: Shutterstock

Many dementia sufferers end up in residential care homes because caring for them is difficult and time-consuming – especially for family members with jobs. Photo: Shutterstock

The living room at Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, in Hong Kong. Photo: Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing

‘An attack by aliens’: how to deal with a dementia patient’s delusions – experts’ tips for carers

Carers often find it challenging to calm a dementia patient down when they suffer from paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. Experts offer advice on what to do. Photo: Shutterstock

It can be heartbreaking for a carer, especially if they are a family member, when a dementia patient cannot recognise them. Photo: Shutterstock

Disinhibition, poor control or restraint over emotions or actions, is common in patients with advanced dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Fiona Kumfor is a neuropsychologist at the University of Sydney in Australia. Photo: Fiona Kumfor

When a dementia patient cannot remember where they put something, they might jump to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia begins in the memory centres, the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe, then moves to other parts of the brain like the temporal lobes and then into the frontal lobe and the parietal lobes. Photo: Shutterstock

Sometimes dementia patients lose the ability to recognise loved ones’ faces, and so they may say they have never met them before. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Kwok is a professor of geriatric medicine at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Unravelling 2 Alzheimer’s markers: what are amyloid plaques and tau tangles, how do they form and what do they do to the brain?

“Sepia galactic storms”: the rust coloured clumps are the stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are the tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Amyloid plaques and tau tangles found in Alzheimer’s sufferers’ brains are caused by build-ups of proteins that block electrical messages. 
Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees, author of “The Silent Plague”, is a professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Lee’s image of “sepia galactic storms”: the rust-coloured clumps are stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Two neurons: a healthy one and one with Alzheimer’s disease – with tangles and disintegration of the microtubules. Photo: Shutterstock

Daniele Vigolo and his team were able to monitor the change from liquid to solid in “fused in sarcoma” proteins, and study their internal structure. Photo: Daniele Vigolo

5 Alzheimer’s experts’ lifestyle advice on avoiding and delaying the onset of the most common form of dementia

Lifestyle tips for avoiding or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, include staying active and socially engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Keep your brain active throughout your lifetime – particularly by learning new skills as you age. Photo: Shutterstock 

Regular physical activity – even having a daily walk – can help delay the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees is professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London, and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Professor Timothy Kwok is professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Professor Craig Ritchie is professor of the psychiatry of ageing at the University of Edinburgh. Photo: Professor Craig Ritchie

Dr David Merrill is an adult and geriatric psychiatrist and director of the Brain Health Centre at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in California. Photo: courtesy of David Merrill

David Robinson is a consultant geriatrician at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. Photo: David Robinson

At risk for Alzheimer’s disease? 2 new blood tests could detect it early – here’s how they do it

New blood tests developed in Hong Kong and the US deliver an easier, less invasive and more cost-effective way to detect Alzheimer’s disease early. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Amy Fu is on the Cognitact team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Photo: Professor Amy Fu

Previously, Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis relied on costly MRI scans. Photo: Shutterstock

Simulated results of Quest’s AD Detect Test for Alzheimer’s Disease. Photo: Quest

The author, Anthea Rowan, pictured with her late mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Courtesy of Anthea Rowan

Excess belly fat linked to higher dementia risk, research shows. Experts explain, and advise how to shrink your waist to protect your brain

Having excess belly fat increases the risk of suffering from dementia, especially for women, according to recent research. Experts explain the link and give tips on how to shrink your waist to prevent your brain shrinking. Photo: Shutterstock

A waist size of more than 88cm for women and more than 102cm for men may put brain health at risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Cyrus Raji, assistant professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University School of Medicine. Photo: Washington University School of Medicine 

David Merrill, director of the Pacific Brain Health Centre. Photo: Pacific Brain Health Centre

Amanda Corse, nutrition and wellness coach at Fizz Fitness in Tanzania. Photo: Instagram/@fizz.fitness