appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Anthea Rowan

This is the 37th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
If you’ve ever smoked – or lived with a smoker – you may be familiar with the breathlessness and early morning cough that come with the habit.
The impact on the lungs is obvious – a smoker directly inhales a poison, after all. But smoking’s damaging effect on the brain may be less apparent.
A recent study throws this into the spotlight: habitual smoking causes the brain to shrink, it suggests.
Dr Laura Bierut, a psychiatry professor at Washington University School of Medicine in the US state of Missouri, led the study, published a few months before World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
She admits scientists once paid less attention to the effects of smoking on the brain, “in part because we were focused on all the terrible effects of smoking on the lungs and the heart”.

As we have grown more concerned about brain health, and started looking at the brain more closely, it has become apparent that smoking is also really bad for your brain, she says.
“People who smoke are more likely to have deterioration in grey and white matter,” Bierut adds, noting that this may help explain why some researchers estimate 14 per cent of global Alzheimer’s disease cases are linked to cigarette smoking.
A Swedish study on smoking and the brain examined the brains and smoking habits of women over more than 30 years.

It found that cigarette smoking was associated with shrinkage in the frontal lobe.
The frontal lobe is responsible for managing many elements of thinking and behaviour, including emotions, personality, judgment, and self-control. It also supports memory storage. And memory loss is an early marker of dementia.
The vascular risks that come with smoking – including stroke, which is a significant risk factor for dementia – are exacerbated by the toxins in cigarette smoke, which cause inflammation and stress in cells, which have both been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Joshua Gray, associate professor in the departments of medical and clinical psychology, and of neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University in Washington, led a large 2020 study on the effects of smoking on the brain.
Quitting at an early age (40 years) can reduce excess mortality by 90 per cent. In other words, risks are reduced to levels only slightly higher than never-smokers
Dr Joshua Gray, assistant professor of medical and clinical psychology and neuroscience
The results, he says, suggest that smoking is one of the top risk factors for dementia, associated with a 1.6 times greater likelihood of developing the disease.
“It exerts numerous damaging effects through oxidative stress,” he says. Inflammation, and atherosclerotic processes such as hardening of the arteries, can translate into brain atrophy, which was shown in both the studies referenced above and in dozens of others.
Atherosclerosis is the thickening or hardening of arteries caused by a build-up in vessel linings.
“We found in our study that smoking was linked to reduced grey matter and increased white-matter hyperintensities” – meaning lesions, Gray says. The lesions are closely linked to a higher risk of dementia and stroke. (White matter describes the nerve fibres that connect different areas of the brain to each other and to the spinal cord.)

The brain consumes 20 per cent of the oxygen the body uses to function. It is especially vulnerable to oxidative stress – an imbalance between harmful free radicals and the body’s natural defence mechanisms – that damages structures inside brain cells and can cause cell death.
Oxidative stress also disrupts the balance of essential proteins, like amyloid-beta peptides. Studies suggest this contributes to the build-up of amyloid plaque in the brain that is a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.
Inflammation is cited as a cause for many diseases, including dementia; experts speak of brain “inflammaging” – ageing accelerated through inflammation.
Atherosclerosis impairs blood flow, which can have serious consequences for brain health for obvious reasons – it deprives the brain of oxygen and important nutrients, so is a risk for vascular dementia.

The chemicals inhaled through smoking (and from second-hand smoke) damage blood vessels, which raises the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, there are more than 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. Nicotine and tar are the most talked about. Others include acetone, found in nail polish remover; arsenic, used in rat poison; and lead, found in batteries.
A pregnant woman who smokes may be harming not only her brain but her unborn child’s, too. A 2023 study published by researchers at University of California, Irvine, found that gestational nicotine disrupts receptors that sustain and regulate central nervous system activity.

Tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy has been linked with a smaller head circumference at birth, reflecting the smaller size of a newborn baby’s brain – which may affect brain development in the long term.
Quitting smoking brings broad benefits to smokers and those close to them, Gray stresses – the earlier, the better for the brain, and other organ systems.
“Quitting at an early age (40 years) can reduce excess mortality by 90 per cent,” he says. “In other words, risks are reduced to levels only slightly higher than never-smokers.
“Even stopping smoking after 60 years old has been shown to substantially reduce the risk for dementia.”
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


World No Tobacco Day falls on May 31, not World No Smoking Day.


Why dementia is preventable – and the new tools that can reduce your risk

A guide to Hong Kong’s bitter herbal teas and how Gen Z is reviving the health tradition

Focused ultrasound could be the next big cancer breakthrough for hard-to-treat tumours

How much sex should a couple have? Focus on quality over quantity, experts say

Wellness

Another reason to stop smoking: it increases dementia risk from brain shrinkage – but quitting, at any age, helps

Smoking shrinks your brain, increasing the risk of dementia. However, quitting the habit, even aged 60, substantially reduces the risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Laura Bierut, a psychiatry professor at Washington University School of Medicine, led a study that links habitual smoking with brain shrinkage. Photo: Washington University School of Medicine

Studies show smoking damages the brain as well as the heart and lungs. The habit is linked to brain shrinkage, which causes memory loss – a hallmark of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

White matter describes the nerve fibres that connect different areas of the brain to each other and to the spinal cord. Photo: Shutterstock

The US Food and Drug Administration says there are more than 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. Image: Shutterstock

Smoking while pregnant harms not only the mother-to-be, but also the unborn child. Studies show tobacco smoke exposure in pregnancy is linked to smaller brains in newborns. Photo: Shutterstock

The bad news about smoking, and the good news: 8 million die from tobacco use yearly; quitting brings lasting benefits

On World No Tobacco Day, we look at the dangers of smoking, and the lasting benefits of quitting and how quickly they start. Photo: Shutterstock

A discarded cigarette pack in Hong Kong carries a warning that smoking harms your children. Photo: SCMP

“Smoking is a sure way to introduce carcinogens into the body,” says Professor Tony Mok, chairman of the clinical oncology department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Prof Tony Mok

Many places – outdoors and indoors – are off limits to smokers, a reminder that the habit is unhealthy and antisocial. Photo: SCMP

Jon Hamm, who played Don Draper in Mad Men, quit smoking in his twenties. Photo: TNS

E-cigarettes (vapes) are just as bad for you as cigarettes, say doctors. Vaping produces up to 127 “acutely toxic” chemicals. Photo: Shutterstock 

The potential damage from smoking is in direct proportion to pack years – the number of packets of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by the number of years of smoking. Photo: Shutterstock 

How to prevent dementia: does this Amazonian tribe hold the key? It has an 80% lower incidence than in the West

The Tsimané indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon have some of the healthiest hearts on the planet and very low rates of dementia, giving clues as to how to prevent it. Photo: Instagram / @unesco

A Tsimané man monitors a burning field in the Bolivian Amazon. The Tsimané have some of the healthiest hearts on the planet, according to cardiologist Dr Randall Thompson from Kansas City, Missouri, US. Photo: AP

One measure of a healthy brain is brain volume; as we age, our brains tend to shrink. The decrease in the Tsimané population’s brain volumes is much, much less than people who live in the West. Illustration: Shutterstock

Social isolation is another risk for dementia. Living in communities assures that the Tsimané are not isolated, unlike many older people in Western countries. Photo: Shutterstock

Some think that phytochemicals released by plants stimulate humans’ immune systems. Photo: Shutterstock

How ‘fear of getting old’ motivates 76-year-old runner who set a record in 250km Sahara Desert race

Harry Hunter, 76, takes part in the 250km Marathon des Sables ultramarathon through the Sahara Desert, the world’s hardest foot race. The Briton explains what motivates him and to what he ascribes his running prowess. Photo: Marathon des Sables 

Harry Hunter after crossing the finish line of the Marathon des Sables in 507th position. Photo: Marathon des Sables

The fear of getting old is a motivating factor that keeps Hunter training hard and maintaining a healthy diet for races such as the Marathon des Sables ultra-marathon. Photo: Marathon des Sables

How a stroke raises dementia risk in the short term, and for decades afterwards – losing the ability to read, or speak, causes social isolation

A stroke can cause loss in abilities such as reading and speaking, and may promote sensory and social isolation and decrease social and intellectual stimulation.
Photo: Shutterstock

The dementia risk early after stroke may be caused by direct brain injury in parts of the brain that affect cognitive function. But this risk persists for up to 20 years. Photo: Shutterstock

Neurologist Raed Joundi, an assistant professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, says the presence of a higher risk of dementia soon after stroke isn’t that surprising. Photo: Raed Joundi

Research by a team at University College London found that reading the newspaper might reduce the risk of dementia in women by 35 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock

50 years ago, there were few women in higher education or senior positions at work, but many were self-educating, which had a positive impact on brain health, says Pamela Almeida-Meza, from University College London. Photo: Pamela Almeida-Meza

Dr Emily Rosenich at the University of South Australia says that while research on cognitive reserve in the context of stroke is not completely understood, preliminary evidence suggests it has the potential to influence stroke outcomes and recovery. Photo: Dr Emily Rosenich

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

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