Maybe this comes to mind when you lose your car keys (for the fourth time today). Or when you call your son my dog name. Again. After all, memory loss is the most well-known symptom of dementia, and one in three people born in the UK today will develop it at some point in their lives.
Yet more and more research suggests that the very first warning signs (those that signal the first brain changes) are not always linked to forgetting. In fact, at first glance, they may seem to have very little to do with your mind.
Taken in isolation, of course, each of these red flags may well be nothing to worry about. But if they persist, combine or bother you, it is always best to seek the advice of your doctor. Accessing the right support quickly and putting the right interventions in place can make all the difference.
5 early signs of dementia
Become less sociable
While the link between dementia and learning and memory problems is well recognized, its impact on your social and emotional life is much less so. Still, your sociability and mood may be important early signs, says Dr. Barbara Sahakian, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge and author of a forthcoming book. Brain Boost: healthy habits for a happier life.
“Be wary of early signs that older family members and friends are becoming socially detached and not engaging in conversation during holidays or other social events – this may herald the onset of dementia,” she said.
For what? Because the aging brain experiences changes in both the chemical serotonin (associated with mood) and dopamine (associated with motivation). “So early signs of dementia may include an increase in depressive symptoms or a lack of motivation or interest in participating in activities that a person previously found enjoyable,” says Dr. Sahakian.
In fact, it works both ways. Although dementia makes you more likely to become socially isolated, isolation can also contribute to your risk of dementia. Studies suggest that depression doubles the risk of dementia, so getting out and seeing friends will really help reduce your risk.
Suffering from nightmares
In 2022, researchers at the University of Birmingham found that one can develop a persistent problem with nightmares several years, or even decades, before the well-known memory and thinking problems linked to dementia take hold. .
“We have demonstrated for the first time that distressing dreams or nightmares may be linked to dementia risk and cognitive decline in healthy adults in the general population,” said study leader Dr Abidemi Otaiku. .
His research showed that middle-aged people (35 to 64 years old) who had bad dreams every week were four times more likely to suffer cognitive decline over the following decade, while older people were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia. Interestingly, the association was much stronger for men. Older men who had nightmares on a weekly basis were five times more likely to develop dementia than those who reported no bad dreams, while for women the increased risk was only 41%.
“We think bad dreams could be a useful way to identify people at high risk of developing dementia and implement strategies to slow the onset of the disease.”
The good news is that recurring nightmares can be treated. In fact, a common medical treatment has already been shown to decrease the buildup of abnormal proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. “Nightmares can be treated,” says Dr. Otaiku, “and it makes sense that treating nightmares will help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – although no studies have yet proven this for certain.”
Losing your sense of smell
“A smell test is a possible early test for dementia,” says Dr James Goodwin, director of Science and Research Impact at the Brain Health Network, former chief scientist at Age UK and author of Boost your brain. In 2017, American researchers discovered a surprising link between dementia and smell. People aged 57 to 85 who were cognitively healthy and had difficulty detecting odors were, they found, more likely to develop dementia five years later. Further investigation showed that a decline in smell was associated with a reduction in gray matter volume in areas of the brain associated with memory.
“This study provides another clue as to how a rapid decline in the sense of smell is a very good indicator of what will ultimately happen structurally in specific regions of the brain,” said lead author Jayant M Pinto. Although smell alone shouldn’t worry you, it could, he suggests, be part of an image. “If we could identify people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who are at higher risk early on, we could potentially have enough information to enroll them in clinical trials and develop better drugs,” said Rachel Pacyna, another researcher on the study.
Driving a little slower
In 2021, a University of Washington study found that, for some people, very subtle changes in the way they control a car could be indicators of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Study participants aged 65 and older had GPS trackers attached to their cars for a year. Medical tests had already shown that some of them suffered from a preclinical or very early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. When the GPS data was analyzed, it was found that these participants were driving slower. They were also less likely to travel at night, traveled fewer kilometers overall and visited a narrower circle of destinations. “The results suggest that GPS driving could serve as an effective and accurate digital biomarker to identify preclinical Alzheimer’s disease in older adults,” the study authors said.
Vision deterioration
Last year, a Loughborough University study found that changes in your vision can predict dementia 12 years before it can be diagnosed.
More than 8,500 healthy people participated in this long-term research project. At first, everyone took a simple visual sensitivity test, in which they had to press a button as soon as they saw a triangle forming in a field of moving dots. Over the years, it appeared that those who would develop dementia were also much slower to spot this triangle than others.
Why might vision tests detect dementia before memory tests? Researchers have suggested that toxic amyloid plaques, or protein clumps, associated with Alzheimer’s disease may first affect areas of the brain associated with vision, with parts of the brain associated with memory only being damaged later. as the disease progresses.
The research is mixed, but the link between vision and dementia may work both ways, the researchers pointed out. Some studies have shown that eye movement can improve memory. People who watch more television and read more have been shown to have better memory and less risk of dementia than those who don’t. So exercising your eyes is definitely not a bad idea.
And in case of doubt? See your GP, if only to calm your nerves. In fact, this act itself could have protective properties against dementia, says Dr. Goodwin, provided you can see the same doctor repeatedly, building a relationship over time. “Seeing the same GP as your doctor will significantly reduce your risk of dementia,” he explains.
