WUSTL neurologist and study author James Galvin says more than 74 percent of Parkinson's patients have trouble sleeping, and up to 80 percent of patients age 65 and older who have Parkinson's disease for seven years will develop dementia.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Sleep linked to Parkinson's dementia in the United Press International

and 1 others.

WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and colleagues have devised a test that shows whether an experimental medication has a chance of working in Alzheimer's patients.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — David Holtzman: Attacking Alzheimer's With a New Test for Amyloid Beta in the U.S. News & World Report online

Alzheimer's patients sift the important from less important less efficiently early on, according to a study conducted by WUSTL researchers.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Early Alzheimer's, think less efficiently in the United Press International

and 2 others.

A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person's risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. "This is a worrisome association," says WUSTL endocrinologist Philip Cryer. But he cautions that an association doesn't prove that one factor causes the other.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Hypoglycemia linked to dementia in the Science News Web edition

In the largest study of SSRIs in older people with anxiety disorders, a team of psychiatric researchers found the drug escitalopram improved anxiety symptoms and quality of life. The study was conducted by WUSTL associate professor of psychiatry Dr. Eric J. Lenze while at the University of Pittsburgh. His team studied 177 people over the age of 60.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2009 — Antidepressant Eases Anxiety in Older Adults in the The Washington Post

and 4 others.

Advanced donor age, per se, does not adversely affect the transplant recipient or the survival of the organ after liver transplantation, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. WUSTL surgery professor William Chapman and colleagues found there was no significant difference in the number of second transplants performed or signs that another transplant was going to be needed between patients who received organs from younger and older donors.

References:

1. Dec. 30, 2008 — Liver transplants from elderly donors are safe in the Reuters Health

and 6 others.

Anne Underwood writes on the biology of aging and anti-aging research being done by scientists, including WUSTL nutritional sciences professor Luigi Fontana, who is tracking the progress of 45 members of the Calorie Restriction Society.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Never Say Die in the Newsweek

and 1 others.

WUSTL developmental biologist Kerry Kornfeld comments on new research that suggests the possibility that roundworms who were deprived of their sense of smell lived extra-long.

References:

1. Oct. 24, 2008 — Olfactory Hack Tricks Worms Into Living Longer in the Wired.com

and 11 others.

Calorie restriction, a diet that is low in calories and high in nutrition, may not be as effective at extending life in people as it is in rodents, according to WUSTL scientists led by medicine professor Luigi Fontana.

References:

1. Sept. 24, 2008 — Differences Between People and Animals on Calorie Restriction in the ScienceDaily.com

and 14 others.

Older adults with type 2 diabetes are apt to have memory problems after eating a meal loaded with fat, but a new study has found the damage can be undone if they take antioxidant vitamins along with the unhealthy food. More study is definitely needed, said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at WUSTL.

References:

1. June 26, 2008 — Unhealthy Meals Dull Older Diabetics' Memory in the U.S. News & World Report

and 5 others.

Contrary to prior studies, a new trial shows that daily use of two popular pain-relieving drugs, Celebrex and naproxen, does not prevent cognitive decline in people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease. WUSTL neurology professor John Morris, who is director of WUSTL's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and a member of the medical and scientific advisory council for the Alzheimer's Association, comments.

References:

1. May 12, 2008 — Celebrex, Naproxen Won't Prevent Mental Decline in the U.S. News & World Report

and 9 others.

German researchers are reporting a new approach to the possible prevention of the molecular "debris" that's associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
WUSTL neurology professor James Galvin called the German research "a novel idea."

References:

1. April 24, 2008 — Study Details New Molecular Approach to Preventing Alzheimer's in the The Washington Post

and 7 others.

Human studies plus laboratory work with yeast, worms, flies and rodents are propelling scientists closer to understanding what causes aging, how to delay it -- and how to translate such progress from the lab to real life.
One of the studies mentioned was the first calorie restriction clinical trials conducted by WUSTL and LSU.

References:

1. April 22, 2008 — Longevity quest moves slowly from lab to life in the MSNBC.com

and 2 others.

WUSTL researchers have found that a key ingredient for the formation of Alzheimer's plaques is produced by a brain cell activity. WUSTL neurology professor and the study's first author John Cirrito comments.

References:

1. April 9, 2008 — Researchers zero in on Alzheimer's plaque origin in the Agence France Presse

and 13 others.

David Carr, clinical director of WUSTL's division of geriatrics and nutritional science, said the fact that McCain has gone five years without a melanoma recurrence is good news.

References:

1. March 27, 2008 — McCain works to answer age and health questions in the Boston Globe

and 5 others.

Differences in the way male and female bodies metabolise food means older women do not use protein as effectively to maintain muscle, a new study by University of Nottingham and WUSTL researchers found.
The study was published in the journal PLOS One.

References:

1. March 26, 2008 — Staying in shape 'hard for women' in the BBC News (UK)

and 1 others.

For the millions of baby boomers who will eventually need cataract surgery, here's some cheering news: New types of implantable lenses promise to restore your youthful vision. Unlike the standard single-power lenses doctors have been implanting for 30 years, the newer multifocal intraocular lenses and accommodating lenses allow patients to see near, far, and in between--and even to shed their glasses.
WUSTL ophthalmology professor Jay Pepose talks about one of the options.

References:

1. Dec. 17, 2007 — The Cataracts Are Gone -- and So Is the Need for Glasses in the U.S. News & World Report

Harvard researchers report in the Sept. 21 issue of Cell that they have uncovered a molecular clue that seems to explain why cutting calories might lengthen your life.
It turns out that mitochondria guard against cell death, and two specific genes within the mitochondria actually carry out that task. Mitochondria are compartments within a cell that are dedicated to energy production, and their loss is thought to be a major cause of aging.
WUSTL molecular biology and pharmacology professor Shin-ichiro Imai comments on the Harvard study.

References:

1. Sept. 20, 2007 — Researchers Pinpoint Link Between Caloric Restriction and Longevity in the CBC News (Canada)

and 7 others.

Age-related brain changes may make it harder for older adults to understand humor, a new study shows.
The study comes from WUSTL psychology graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2007 — Humor Hampered By Aging Brain? in the CBSNews.com

and 1 others.

It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age.
The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.
The research conducted by WUSTL graduate student Wingyun Mak and WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter.
Findings were published earlier this month in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

References:

1. July 11, 2007 — Joke comprehension may decrease with age, study at St. Louis university suggests in the International Herald Tribune (France)

and 206 others.