New and Noteworthy Information—July 2017

Boots EA, Schultz SA, Clark LR, et al. BDNF Val66Met predicts cognitive decline in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention. Neurology. 2017 May 3 [Epub ahead of print].

Support From Children Reduces Risk of Dementia

Positive social support from children is associated with reduced risk of dementia, whereas negative social support from children and other immediate family increases the risk, according to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers analyzed 10-year follow-up data in 10,055 cognitively normal participants age 50 and older from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. Incidence of dementia was identified from participant- or informant-reported physician diagnosed dementia or overall score of informant-completed IQCODE questionnaire. Positive social support from children significantly reduced the risk of dementia (hazard ratio, 0.83). Negative support from family and friends was significantly associated with increased risk of dementia. The causal mechanisms that create these associations require further research, said the researchers.

Khondoker M, Rafnsson SB, Morris S, et al. Positive and negative experiences of social support and risk of dementia in later life: an investigation using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;58(1):99-108.

—Kimberly Williams