Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the Montefiore Health System found in a new study that high levels of stress among adults may cause cognitive impairment, which often leads to Alzheimer's disease, International Business Times reported.
In the study that was published in the online version of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, the researchers found out that the participants subjected in the study who were highly stressed were more than twice as likely to be affected by cognitive impairment, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.
According to International Business Times, the findings of the study came from an observation among 507 participants enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study, a community-based group involving people who are aged 70 and above. For the study, the participants underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests, clinical evaluations, medical history examination and daily activity evaluation.
Furthermore, the researchers suggested that to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, stress should be detected, managed or treated among older people since stress is treatable while Alzheimer's disease is not.
"Perceived stress reflects the daily hassles we all experience, as well as the way we appraise and cope with these events," said one of the study's authors, Mindy Katz, a senior associate in the neurology department at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
"Perceived stress can be altered by mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapies and stress-reducing drugs. These interventions may postpone or even prevent an individual's cognitive decline," Mindy Katz added.
The Times Gazette, in its report, highlighted that every year, an estimated 470,000 Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, most of whom initially experience mild cognitive impairment and then after months or a year, develop to Alzheimer's. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment and chronic stress, which is the focus of the new study from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, are usually characterized by memory loss.
