Newsbriefs: Stress & Stroke Risk; Dirty Air & AD Risk; Hypertension Treatment
MGH RESEARCHERS LINK STRESS AND HIGHER RISK FOR STROKE
Elevated activity levels in the brain’s amygdala—a region associated with stress—may be an indicator of higher risk for stroke and heart attack, according to a research team lead by the co-director of MGH’s cardiac imaging program. In an effort to examine the relationship between stress and risk for heart attack and stroke, the researchers followed 300 adults for a period of four years, carefully tracking their physical health and using brain scans to observe brain activity. The scientists found that participants who had greater levels of activity in the amygdala were more likely to be diagnosed with heart attack, angina, heart failure, stroke, or peripheral artery disease than those with lower levels of activity in that region, and they developed these health problems sooner than participants with low levels of activity in the brain region. The finding “raises the possibility that reducing stress could produce benefits that extend beyond an improved sense of psychological well-being,” said the lead author of the study, which was published Jan. 11, 2017 in the journal The Lancet.
STUDY: DIRTY AIR RAISES ALZHEIMER’S RISK
Older women who are exposed to high levels of air pollution are much more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than those who live in areas with cleaner air, a recent nationwide study suggests. The research, in which scientists tracked the cognitive health of more than 3,600 long-term study participants for 10 years, found that those who breathed air laden with particulate matter produced by automobile exhaust, power plants, and other sources of pollution were nearly twice as likely a those not exposed to pollution to develop dementia. Participants who had the APOe4 gene variant, which confers significantly greater risk risk for AD, were almost three times more likely to develop dementia, according to a report published Jan. 31, 2017 in the online issue of the journal Translational Psychiatry.
HYPERTENSION TREATMENT THRESHOLDS RAISED FOR OLDER ADULTS
New guidelines promulgated by two leading medical organizations have raised the thresholds for treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) among healthy older adults. Control of high blood pressure is considered to be essential in lowering risk for stroke, heart problems, and death among seniors. The organizations—the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians—increased targets for the treatment of high blood pressure in healthy individuals ages 60 and older from a systolic blood pressure (the top number) reading of 140 mmHg to 150 mmHg or above. Tighter control of blood pressure in older individuals has been associated with vulnerability to fainting or excessively low blood pressure, and the new guidelines are thought to provide a better balance between potential benefits and drawbacks of treatment. The authors of the guidelines, which were published Jan. 16, 2017 in two journals—the Annals of Internal Medicine and the Annals of Family Medicine—cautioned that lower targets may still be recommended for individuals with a history of stroke, mini-stroke, or other serious cardiovascular problems.
SECRET TO A SHARPER BRAIN: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Pitching in to do good deeds for your community appears to do some good for your brain as well, fascinating new research suggests. In a study involving over 9,000 adults who were assessed at the age of 33 and again at 50, researchers found that participants who were active in local community groups gained a mental edge over those who were not active. The socially engaged participants—who were active in volunteer organizations, neighborhood associations, political or social action groups, or religious groups—were found to have higher scores on tests of memory, thinking, and reasoning skills, according to a report published in the December 2016 online issue of the journal BMC Psychology.
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