A new study suggests that older adults who are more vulnerable to financial scams may have early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers from USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences found a connection between financial vulnerability and brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s, which could help identify people at risk for the disease.
Nearly 7 million Americans currently live with Alzheimer’s, a disease that primarily affects those over 65 and is the fifth leading cause of death in this age group.
It is expected to cost $360 billion in healthcare expenses this year alone.
Led by Duke Han, a professor at USC Dornsife, the research team used MRI scans to study the brains of 97 adults aged 50 to 83.
They focused on a brain area called the entorhinal cortex, which connects the hippocampus (responsible for memory) to the medial prefrontal cortex (which controls emotion and motivation).
This part of the brain is often the first to show signs of Alzheimer’s, becoming thinner as the disease progresses.
None of the participants in the study showed signs of memory problems, but all underwent MRI scans to measure the thickness of their entorhinal cortex.
Additionally, the researchers assessed each person’s financial awareness using a tool called the Perceived Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale (PFVS), which measures how vulnerable a person is to making poor financial decisions or being exploited.
The researchers found a significant link between financial vulnerability and a thinner entorhinal cortex. This was especially true for participants aged 70 and older, who were more susceptible to financial scams.
Previous studies have already shown that financial vulnerability is related to mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and other brain changes often seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
Han explained that these findings offer strong evidence that financial vulnerability could be a useful tool in detecting cognitive changes in older adults, which are often hard to spot.
“Assessing financial vulnerability in older adults could help identify those in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” Han said.
However, Han also stressed that financial vulnerability alone is not a definite sign of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline. It should be used as part of a larger assessment of an individual’s cognitive health.
The study had some limitations, including that most of the participants were older, well-educated, white women, which makes it harder to apply the findings to a more diverse population.
Additionally, the study found a link between financial vulnerability and brain thinning, but it does not prove that one causes the other. More research is needed to explore this connection and whether financial vulnerability can be used as a reliable tool to assess cognitive health in different populations.
While the findings are promising, further studies are necessary to confirm the results and understand how financial vulnerability fits into detecting early Alzheimer’s.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
Source: University of Southern California.
