Early assessment of healthy diet and rest can reverse mild cognitive impairment

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(Hong Kong News) Mild Cognitive Impairment is an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia. screening.

6.3% lead to dementia

Dr. Shao Jiale, a specialist in neurology at Sanatorium and Hospital, said that it is not uncommon for the elderly to suffer from mild cognitive impairment.

“Studies estimate that among those aged 60 to 64,

About 7% of people have mild cognitive impairment,

The incidence jumps to 25% by the age of 80 to 84;

About 10% to 15% of patients with mild cognitive impairment will decline into dementia every year.

It is higher than the 1% to 3% incidence rate of the general elderly.

in addition,

6.3% of patients with mild cognitive impairment

develop dementia. “

However, there are also some interviewees who maintained the same cognitive ability or improved 5 years after the onset of symptoms, which proves that mild cognitive impairment can also be reversed.

Different areas of the brain are in charge of different functions, for example, the frontal lobe is responsible for thinking, memory, behavior and movement; the temporal lobe is responsible for hearing, learning and emotions. The symptoms of dementia depend on which area is affected. How to judge whether it is “amnesia” or suffering from mild cognitive impairment?

He said that most people who have no memory will occasionally forget the recent events, but they can recall them after a while; The concept is normal.

“Patients with mild cognitive impairment tend to forget things more frequently, and sometimes they have to be reminded to remember; in terms of language, there are more times when words do not express their meaning; when dealing with more complicated and multi-step things, such as online bank transfers , Using electronic payment, etc., it takes more time to process, and it is easy to get lost in a new environment.”

Mild cognitive impairment is mainly divided into amnestic and non-amnestic. Amnesia is more common, that is, memory loss, which has a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Non-amnestics mainly present with language and other cognitive impairments, such as impaired attention and judgment.

Diminished attention and judgment

“People over 65 years old, with low education level, history of stroke or cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, middle-aged diabetes, and central obesity are also high-risk groups for mild cognitive impairment. With high risk Genetics or psychiatric symptoms such as depression, smoking and physical inactivity are all important factors in developing mild cognitive impairment.”

He pointed out that the doctor will first understand the medical history of the elderly, inquire about their cognitive problems, check the side effects of drugs, check sleep quality and observe psychological problems, and conduct a comprehensive medical and neurological examination to rule out non-degenerative cognitive dysfunction.

During the screening process, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) will be used to measure different cognitive areas. The assessment takes about 10 to 15 minutes and will determine whether the score is normal according to age and education level. When necessary, clinical psychologists will be referred for detailed tests to evaluate the cognitive abilities of the patient’s brain; neuroimaging is usually used for diagnosis, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to observe subtle changes, whether there is hippocampus or temporal Leaf shrinkage, slight stroke or micro-bleeding, etc.

Exercise stimulates brain function

To reduce the risk of cognitive decline or developing dementia, he emphasized that people should exercise more, use their brains more and maintain social activities.

“Currently there is no cure for mild cognitive impairment. The most important thing is to maintain good living habits, prevent brain trauma, maintain brain health, control blood sugar, blood pressure and weight well, quit smoking and alcohol, etc.”

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that healthy elderly people aged 65 or above should engage in regular physical exercise, and should be more active on weekdays, such as walking for 30 minutes a day; they should also engage in moderate-to-high-intensity physical exercise two to three days a week. Such as brisk walking, swimming or mountain climbing to enhance muscle endurance and enhance cardiopulmonary function. At the same time, it can also exercise muscles, strengthen the muscles of the lower body and improve balance.

He added that the elderly should follow the healthy eating pyramid diet, follow the three lows and one high (i.e. low fat, low sodium, low sugar and high fiber), and take in balanced and high-quality nutrition; they should also get enough sleep and maintain a cheerful mood, which will help Maintain cognitive function in the elderly.

“Fundus photos” have an accuracy of 84% and can detect Alzheimer’s disease in 2 minutes

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease will experience cognitive deterioration such as poor memory and language ability.

One in 10 people aged 70 or over suffers from dementia, and more than half of them suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which is not widely diagnosed or invasive.

The medical team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has successfully developed the world’s first artificial intelligence system, which can detect Alzheimer’s disease within 2 minutes by analyzing “fundus photos”, that is, retinal images, with an accuracy of more than 80%.

The team said that the new diagnostic technology is easy to apply and hopes to shorten the waiting time for outpatient clinics. The goal is to combine the artificial intelligence system and fundus camera in one year, and it can be used clinically.

No need to touch the eyeball, no pain

Abnormal substances, including β-amyloid and neurofibrillary tangles, accumulate in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease patients, leading to the gradual death of brain cells, leading to cognitive deterioration such as poor memory and language ability.

The research team used nearly 13,000 “fundus photos” from 648 Alzheimer’s patients and 3,240 ordinary people to train artificial intelligence, with an accuracy of 84%, a sensitivity of 93%, and a specificity of 82%.

Patients only need to take two fundus photos of each eye shadow, and then send them to the artificial intelligence system, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease can be calculated within 2 minutes.

Au Bing-chi, clinical professional consultant of the Department of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, said that the current diagnosis requires the detection of amyloid, such as positron emission tomography brain scan or extraction of cerebrospinal fluid through lumbar puncture, etc., but they are still not widely used It may be invasive and difficult to diagnose accurately, but the new technology diagnosis process does not need to touch the eyeball, so it will not feel pain.

Hope to reduce waiting time for patients

Mo Zhongtang, director of the Zhou Peifang Cognitive Impairment Prevention Research Center of CUHK, said that the current price of positron brain scan for diagnosis is about 20,000 yuan, and it is not popular, while each “fundus photo” only costs about 800 yuan (about RM426). ).

He expects that the new technology can reduce the waiting time for outpatient clinics by about two years. The goal is to integrate the artificial intelligence system and fundus camera in one year, and use the CUHK Hospital as a pilot for clinical application.

Anxious, forgetful, repetitive old woman suffers from mild Alzheimer’s disease

The 72-year-old Mrs. Chen has become anxious and forgetful since 2019. She often repeats her words and even forgets to practice Tai Chi moves for more than 10 years.

She sought medical treatment in July last year and found out that she was suffering from mild Alzheimer’s disease through a “fundus photo”.

She said that there was “no discomfort” during the process, and it was more convenient than other inspection methods that required changing clothes.

Article by Li Ji “Ming Pao”

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