Apathy In Older People Could Be A Sign Of Brain Shrinkage | HuffPost Life

Lack Of Emotion And Interest In Older People Could Be A Sign Of Brain Shrinkage

The Huffington Post UK

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Older people who show signs of apathy - a lack of emotion, interest or energy - are more likely to have smaller brain volumes than those who aren't apathetic, a new study has revealed.

"Just as signs of memory loss may signal brain changes related to brain disease, apathy may indicate underlying changes," said Lenore J. Launer, PhD, with the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

"Apathy symptoms are common in older people without dementia. And the fact that participants in our study had apathy without depression should turn our attention to how apathy alone could indicate brain disease."

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Launer's team used brain volume as a measure of accelerated brain ageing. Brain volume losses occur during normal ageing, but in this study, larger amounts of brain volume loss could indicate brain diseases.

For the study, 4,354 people without dementia and with an average age of 76 underwent an MRI scan. They were also asked questions that measure apathy symptoms, which include lack of interest, lack of emotion, dropping activities and interests, preferring to stay at home and having a lack of energy.

The study found that people with two or more apathy symptoms had 1.4 percent smaller gray matter volume and 1.6 percent less white matter volume compared to those who had less than two symptoms of apathy. Excluding people with depression symptoms did not change the results.

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Brain Superfoods

Walnuts(01 of12)

Walnuts are chock-full of heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and are the only good nut source of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), HuffPost Healthy Living earlier reported. That means they help promote blood flow, which in turn allows for efficient delivery of oxygen to the brain. And research presented at the 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's found that mice with the disease who were regularly fed walnuts had improved memory, learning and motor skill coordination, according to MyHealthNewsDaily. (credit:Alamy)

Olive Oil(02 of12)

Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fats, which have been shown to actually slow brain aging. (credit:shutterstock)

Berries(03 of12)

Animal studies have long indicated a link between berry consumption and brain health. But a recent study published in the Annals of Neurology found that a diet high in blueberries, strawberries and others were linked to a slower mental decline in areas like memory and focus in a large sample of middle-aged women, reported TIME's Alice Park. (credit: FLICKR: GEISHABOY500)

Sardines(04 of12)

Fatty fish like sardines (and salmon!) are a well-known brain booster, thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which have been linked to lower risk of dementia, improved focus and memory. (credit:Alamy)

Coffee(05 of12)

Caffeine, the mild stimulant found in coffee, improves mental acuity, though the drink's enthusiasts -- who guzzle 120,000 tons of the stuff each year -- likely already know that. Aside from caffeine's brain boosting effects, coffee's antioxidant richness helps maintain brain health. And some research suggests that drinking coffee can actually stave off depression in women. (credit:Alamy)

Spinach(06 of12)

Spinach is rich in the antioxidant lutein, which is thought to help protect against cognitive decline, according to researchers from Tufts University. And a longitudinal study at Harvard Medical School found that women who reported eating the most leafy green and cruciferous vegetables had a markedly lower rate of cognitive decline, compared to those who ate the least. (credit:Alamy)

Dark Chocolate (07 of12)

Antioxidant-rich dark chocolate is healthy for your whole body, but its caffeine content is thought to play a role in maintaining mental acuity. What's more, chocolate is rich in flavonoids, a class of antioxidant that helps to improve blood flow (and thus brain health) by regulating cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. (credit:Alamy)

Avocados (08 of12)

Avocados are full of monounsaturated fats that improve vascular health and blood flow, making them another brain food. (credit:Alamy)

Water(09 of12)

When a person becomes dehydrated, their brain tissue actually shrinks. And several studies have shown that dehydration can affect cognitive function. Dehydration can impair short-term memory, focus and decision making, according to Psychology Today.

Wheat Germ(10 of12)

Wheat germ is a rich vegetarian source of choline -- a nutrient that is involved in the body's production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that boosts memory, according to Shape. Eggs are another good choline source. (credit:Alamy)

Beets(11 of12)

Beets are a good source of naturally-occurring nitrates, which help improve blood flow to the brain, according to Shape. (credit:Alamy)

Garlic(12 of12)

Garlic may help stave off some forms of brain cancer, according to research published in Cancer, the medical journal of the American Cancer Society. Investigators found that the organo-sulfur compounds in garlic actually worked to kill glioblastoma cells -- a type of malignant tumor cell. (credit:Alamy)

Gray matter is where learning takes place and memories are stored in the brain. White matter acts as the communication cables that connect different parts of the brain.

"If these findings are confirmed, identifying people with apathy earlier may be one way to target an at-risk group," Launer said.

This study was published in the journal Neurology.

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