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07/31/2025

You Don’t Remember Being a Baby, but Your Brain Was Making Memories

Brain scans capture memory formation in babies, raising new questions about why people forget their earliest years

BY NICK TURK-BROWNE EDITED BY DAISY YUHAS

JULY 28, 2025

A plume of red, a searing pain and the sounds of summer—these are fragments of my earliest memory, when I stepped on a glass shard in a Toronto splash park at six or seven years old. I don’t remember much from that day, but a scar on my foot bears witness to what happened.

When you ask adults about their first memory, for a specific event from their childhood, their answer typically dates back no earlier than preschool. This is true whether you ask a college student or a grandparent, suggesting that adults’ lack of infant or toddler memories is not just the result of normal forgetting that occurs with the passage of time. The gap in our autobiographical memory from when we were a baby is known as “infantile amnesia.”

There are two potential explanations for this phenomenon. One is that infants cannot store memories. The slow development of the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped region deep in the brain, may be responsible. This region, which is critical for memory, grows and changes throughout childhood, so it might not yet be available to infants. In this telling, babies are not so different from famous cases of amnesia such as those of Henry Molaison and Lonni Sue Johnson, both of whom suffered hippocampal damage in adulthood that made them unable to store memories.

Brain scans capture memory formation in babies, raising new questions about why people forget their earliest years

07/28/2025

Decades-Old Lead Pollution Linked to Memory Problems in Older Adults, Study Finds

Key Takeaways:

A study of more than 600,000 adults links early-life environmental lead exposure to memory problems later in life.

People who grew up in areas with moderate to extremely high atmospheric lead levels from 1960-1974 were 20% more likely to report memory problems as adults 50 years later.

Lead exposure may leave a lasting molecular imprint on the brain, making it more vulnerable to age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

TORONTO, July 27, 2025 — Historic lead levels from the era of leaded gasoline may be contributing to cognitive issues 50 years later, suggests research reported for the first time at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2025 (AAIC®), in Toronto and online.

Americans are about 20% more likely to experience memory problems if they lived in areas with high levels of atmospheric lead between 1960 and 1974, according to the analysis of more than 600,000 adults 65 and older.

“Research suggests half the U.S. population — more than 170 million people — were exposed to high lead levels in early childhood. This research sheds more light on the toxicity of lead related to brain health in older adults today,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer and medical affairs lead. “Other studies reported at AAIC 2025 suggest that (a) lead exposure at any point in life may cause cognitive problems, (b) it may be more likely to affect certain populations and reflect disparities, and (c) there is a biological connection between lead exposure and Alzheimer’s.”

Historic levels of lead air pollution are associated with memory problems 50 years later
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers examined how exposure to airborne lead from 1960-1974 — when leaded gasoline use was at its highest — may affect brain health later in life. They determined that older adults who grew up in areas with moderate to extremely high historical atmospheric lead levels (HALL) were about 20% more likely to report memory problems as adults 50 years later.

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Historic lead levels from the era of leaded gasoline may be contributing to cognitive issues 50 years later, suggests research reported at AAIC 2025.

07/18/2025

What might be the relationship to dementia?

How the brain wakes up

When we wake from the dream-laden phase of sleep, the brain boots up step by step. The first brain regions to rouse are those associated with executive function and decision-making, located at the front of the head. A wave of wakefulness then spreads to the back, ending with an area associated with vision. This precise understanding of how the brain transitions from slumber to alertness could help to manage sleep inertia — the grogginess that many people feel when hitting the snooze button.

Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Current Biology paper

Hello Nature readers,Today we discover what really happens in the brain when we wake up, explore the underappreciated risk of a nuclear war and learn the best way to update a long-lived data set.

07/15/2025

Cognitive Health and Older Adults

Cognitive health is the ability to think, learn, and remember clearly. It is needed to carry out many everyday activities effectively.

Cognitive health is just one aspect of overall brain health.

Many factors contribute to cognitive health.

Genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors may contribute to a decline in thinking skills and the ability to perform everyday tasks, such as driving, paying bills, taking medicine, and cooking. Although genetic factors can’t be controlled, many environmental and lifestyle factors can be changed or managed.

Scientific research suggests that there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of cognitive decline and help maintain your cognitive health. These small changes can add up: Making them part of your routine can support your brain function now and in the future.

What is brain health?

Brain health refers to how well a person’s brain functions across several areas. Aspects of brain health include:

Cognitive health — how well you think, learn, and remember

Motor function — how well you make and control movements, including balance

Emotional function — how well you interpret and respond to emotions (both pleasant and unpleasant)

Tactile function — how well you feel and respond to sensations of touch, including pressure, pain, and temperature

Sensory function — how well you see, hear, taste, and detect odors

Brain health can be affected by age-related changes in the brain, injuries such as stroke or traumatic brain injury; mood disorders such as depression, substance use disorder, or addiction; and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

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Curious about your cognitive health? Learn steps you can take to help care for your brain as you age.

07/10/2025

Eye symptoms that signal Alzheimer’s before memory loss

Revolutionary research shows vision changes may predict brain decline years before memory loss

BY TEGA EGWABOR
JUL 06, 2025

Your eyes might be the window to your future brain health, and what researchers are discovering could change how we detect Alzheimer’s disease forever. Long before memory problems become noticeable, subtle changes in vision and eye function may signal that something significant is happening in the brain.

This groundbreaking connection between eye health and Alzheimer‘s disease represents one of the most promising developments in early detection research. Unlike traditional cognitive tests that can only identify problems after symptoms appear, eye-based assessments could potentially spot warning signs years or even decades before memory loss begins.

The implications are enormous for millions of families who watch loved ones struggle with Alzheimer’s progression. Early detection could mean earlier interventions, better planning, and potentially more effective treatments when they become available.

The retina connection reveals brain secrets

The retina, located at the back of the eye, shares a unique relationship with the brain that makes it an ideal window into neurological health. This thin layer of tissue contains nerve cells that are directly connected to the brain through the optic nerve, making it essentially an extension of the central nervous system.

Retinal blood vessels mirror brain blood vessels, showing similar changes

Nerve fiber layers in the retina reflect the health of brain tissue
Protein deposits in the eye may indicate similar accumulations in the brain

Protein deposits in the eye may indicate similar accumulations in the brain

Blood flow patterns in the retina can reveal circulation problems affecting the brain

What makes the retina particularly valuable for Alzheimer’s detection is its accessibility.

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07/09/2025

What is dementia?

Although dementia is often associated with getting older, it is not a normal part of aging.

Dementia is caused by changes in the brain that affect memory, thinking, and behavior. While most people are familiar with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia also exist.

Understanding the different types of dementia can help a person with the disease learn about treatment and how to better prepare for the future.

Check out NIA’s video on common types of dementia, associated symptoms, and what you should do if you experience memory problems.

07/08/2025

Cough syrup protects the brain from dementia in clinical trial first

By Bronwyn Thompson
July 06, 2025

A safe and affordable treatment to slow the advancement of Parkinson's dementia has emerged – in the form of a commonly available cough syrup that's already being studied for its positive effect on other degenerative diseases.

Researchers at St Joseph’s Health Care London's Lawson Research Institute have released the results of a 12-month clinical trial investigating the cough medicine Ambroxol and its potential to slow Parkinson's-related dementia. In the study, 55 patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) were given either a daily dose of Ambroxol or a placebo and had their memory, psychiatric symptoms and the brain-damage blood marker GFAP monitored.

“Our goal was to change the course of Parkinson’s dementia,” said study lead Dr Stephen Pasternak, a cognitive neurologist at Lawson. “This early trial offers hope and provides a strong foundation for larger studies.”

The results deemed Ambroxol to be safe, well tolerated and able to achieve targeted therapeutic significance in the brain. GFAP levels were stable in the Ambroxol group, while these brain-damage markers increased in the placebo cohort. The placebo group also experienced worsening psychiatric symptoms. And those with high-risk GBA1 gene variants also showed "improved cognitive perdformance" on the drug.

“Current therapies for Parkinson’s disease and dementia address symptoms but do not stop the underlying disease,” said Pasternak. “These findings suggest Ambroxol may protect brain function, especially in those genetically at risk. It offers a promising new treatment avenue where few currently exist.”

PDD, much like other forms of dementia, comes with memory loss, hallucinations, confusion and mood shifts. Around half of all Parkinson's sufferers will go on to develop disease-related dementia within 10 years.

Ambroxol is at the center of another Parkinson's study, which isn't linked to dementia outcomes but a rare genetic condition known as Gaucher disease, and the Phase III two-year trial results are due out sometime in 2025. Meanwhile, Australian researchers are currently investigating Ambroxol for the treatment of motor neurone disease (MND), and more specifically Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

More…

A safe and affordable treatment to slow the advancement of Parkinson's dementia has emerged – in the form of a commonly available cough syrup that's already being studied for its positive effect on other degenerative diseases.

07/07/2025

More Evidence Ties Glucose-Lowering Meds to Lower Dementia Risk

Jeff Craven
April 08, 2025

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) are associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease-related dementia (ADRD), findings from two new studies showed.

The results are “consistent with and extend previous observational studies and meta-analyses suggesting a potential protective role of GLP-1RAs and SGLT2is” for reducing the risk of ADRD among patients with diabetes, Huilin Tang, PhD, of the department of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, and colleagues wrote.

In a retrospective, population-based cohort study, investigators found patients with type 2 diabetes had a significantly lower risk of ADRD when taking GLP-1RAs and SGLT2is compared with other glucose-lowering drugs.

In the second study, which evaluated 23 trials of a broader group of participants, researchers found an association between GLP-Ras — but not SGLT2is — and reduced risk of all-cause dementia.

“While none of the eligible clinical trials included a specific population with cognitive impairment, findings may have implications for choice of glucose-lowering therapy in patients with diabetes and higher risk of dementia,” Allie Seminer, MSc, of the HRB Clinical Research Facility at the University of Galway, Ireland, and colleagues wrote.

Both studies were published online April 7 in JAMA Neurology.

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GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a lower risk of dementia, suggesting these drugs may have a neuroprotective effect.

07/02/2025

Dementia With Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline

Edited by Anushree Chaphalkar
March 03, 2025

TOPLINE:

Cognitive function may decline more quickly in patients with dementia who also have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new cohort study suggested. Having dementia and RA was also associated with a 15% higher risk for death than having dementia alone, investigators found.

METHODOLOGY:

This propensity score-matched register-based cohort study included almost 1700 patients with both dementia and RA and more than 5000 matched patients with dementia only (both groups: mean age, 80 years; 73% women).
All data were taken from the Swedish Registry for Cognitive/Dementia Disorders between 2007 and 2018.

Researchers analyzed more than 111,000 Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) measurements over a median follow-up duration of 2.6 years for the RA group and 2.9 years for the non-RA group.

The primary outcome was cognitive decline, determined by MMSE score changes over time; the secondary outcome was all-cause mortality.

TAKEAWAY:

The RA group showed significantly faster cognitive decline than the non-RA group (β, −0.24 points/year; P = .001), and an increased risk for mortality (hazard ratio, 1.15; P = .001).
A longer duration of exposure to RA before dementia diagnosis (5-10 years) was associated with faster cognitive decline (P = .001), as was use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs with and without glucocorticoids (P < .03 and P < .001, respectively).
Use of glucocorticoids was also linked to increased risk for all-cause mortality in patients with RA (P < .001) compared with patients without RA.

Significant interactions were found between RA, baseline MMSE scores, living conditions, and cognitive decline (P for interaction < .05).

More…

Having dementia and rheumatoid arthritis is associated with faster cognitive decline and higher mortality risk than having dementia alone, new research suggests.

07/01/2025

Could Retinal Imaging in Midlife Help Predict Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias?

Edited by Shrabasti Bhattacharya
March 07, 2025

TOPLINE:

Poor retinal health in midlife was associated with significantly higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) later in life, a new study showed. Investigators say the findings suggest retinal microvascular imaging may be an accessible and cost-effective screening tool for ADRD.

METHODOLOGY:

Researchers investigated whether neuronal and microvascular measures of the retina can predict the risk for ADRD in 938 participants (50.5% men) aged 45 years from a cohort study in New Zealand.

Retinal measures included neuronal parameters (retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer) assessed using optical coherence tomography and microvascular parameters (arterioles and venules) assessed using digital fundus imaging.

The analysis incorporated five risk indexes of ADRD: The cardiovascular risk factors, aging, and incidence of dementia index; lifestyle for brain health index; Australian National University Alzheimer’s Disease risk index; modifiable risk factors selected by the Lancet Commission on dementia; and Dunedin Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias risk benchmark.

TAKEAWAY:

Poorer retinal microvascular health, characterized by narrower arterioles and wider venules, showed a strong association with a greater ADRD risk (beta, 0.16-0.31; P < .001).
Thinner retinal nerve fiber layers also demonstrated a modest association with a higher risk for ADRD.

Retinal neuronal measures were associated with only one risk factor for ADRD — cardiometabolic risk — whereas microvascular retinal measures were associated with diverse risk factors, such as lifestyle, sensory function, psychosomatic, socioeconomic, cardiometabolic, subjective overall health, and inflammatory factors.

More…

Poor retinal health in midlife is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias later on, suggesting retinal imaging as a tool for dementia screening.