New Delhi, Jun 18: While social isolation has long been known a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, a new study showed that being more sociable can be an early sign of the neurodegenerative disease. The study examined the social habits and genetic data of half a million British people whose average age was 56.

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Boston University found that Alzheimer’s may make people more sociable rather than less -- at least in the early stages. The study shows that at its earliest stage Alzheimer’s doesn’t make people less socially engaged. “Their social lives may even expand,” said co-senior author Ashwin Kotwal, from USCF. “We don’t know for sure if they are engaging more with others, or if those around them are noticing subtle changes and giving them more support," he added.

The data from UK Biobank showed that people with a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s reported less isolation, participation in a wider range of social activities and happier family relationships. No differences were found between higher-risk and lower-risk individuals in measuring loneliness, friendship quality and emotional support. Social connectedness is believed to delay or reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by promoting cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to maintain normal function despite aging or dementia.

The research showed that other non-genetic factors influencing Alzheimer’s are physical inactivity, uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure, poor sleep, depression, current smoking and certain medications. Experts believe that 30 per cent of Alzheimer’s may be attributed to these modifiable risks. Another research earlier this month found that mood disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, or mania after the age of 40 may not be just mental health conditions but can precede motor or cognitive symptoms in various neurodegenerative diseases.

Growing evidence suggests these late-life mood disorders (LLMDs) could be early warning signs of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, even when they appear years before memory loss or other cognitive symptoms become apparent, said researchers from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association explored the presence of abnormal tau protein -- a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases -- in the brains of 52 participants with LLMDs and 47 healthy controls.

(IANS)

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