by Matt Johnson for Health Bridge

I lost my keys yesterday.  I mean lost them.  I turned the house upside down.  Nothing.  I sat my kids down for an Andy Sipowicz style interrogation.  None of them cracked.

Then I found them.  Bathroom counter. As my mother would say, “if they were a snake, they would have bit you.” The good news is, losing my keys does not mean I have Alzheimer’s Disease.

As a senior caregiver, I’m keenly aware of the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease, published by the Alzheimer’s Association. Each is an indication that you might have the beginnings of the disease.  But, they’re all awfully close to normal aging processes.

In order to let out a collective sigh of relief, below we’ll walk through 5 perfectly normal parts of the aging process.  Then, we’ll walk through the signals that may indicate that there is Alzheimer’s Disease present.

5 Signs that You Don’t Have Alzheimer’s Disease (And what to look for next)

by Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation

Having a larger head circumference, a sign of a bigger brain in young children, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s in old age, a new study reports. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that the larger the brain and the richer the connection between brain cells, the less likely you may be to develop memory loss and thinking problems in old age.

“These results add weight to the theory of brain reserve, or the individual capacity to withstand changes in the brain,” said study author Robert Perneczky, M.D., of the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

The brain reserve theory holds that a large brain with robust connections can better withstand the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. As brain cells die off from the accumulation of the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s, enough may remain to keep the brain working normally.

The findings highlight the importance of proper brain development early in life. Because brain size reaches most of its full measure by age 6, the authors note, measurements of head circumference mainly reflect brain development during the early childhood years. Dr. Perneczky said that while brain growth is determined in part by genetics, it is also influenced by nutrition in childhood. Infections and inflammations of the central nervous system as well as brain injuries can also impair brain growth.

by A Guide To A Healthier Life

Researchers at the New England Journal of Medicine and Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center conducted some studies of the effect of game playing and its effect on Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Joe Verghese at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that playing board games helped in the reduction of dementia.

They found that using the brain to think and the physical activity to play the games increased brain function and aided in warding off Alzheimer’s. The study showed that internet computer games were more effective than normal daycare therapy sessions. People who played brain enhancement games had reduced their chances of Alzheimer’s by 47 percent.