New research suggests that vulnerability to financial scams in older adults might hint at early brain changes related to Alzheimer’s disease.
This finding, published in Cerebral Cortex, highlights how certain brain changes may make some aging individuals more susceptible to financial exploitation.
The study was led by a clinical psychology doctoral student and a neuropsychologist interested in understanding whether falling for scams could signal future cognitive decline.
Other studies support this idea, but few have explored how specific brain regions may be involved.
The researchers studied 97 adults aged 52 to 83 who showed no signs of cognitive problems. They focused on a part of the brain called the entorhinal cortex, which is one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
This brain region plays a crucial role in connecting the hippocampus (important for memory) and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (important for decision-making and value judgments).
The team hypothesized that if the entorhinal cortex becomes thinner, it might impair people’s ability to draw on past experiences or imagine future consequences, making them more vulnerable to scams. Using brain scans, they found that participants with a thinner entorhinal cortex reported greater susceptibility to financial exploitation, based on a self-assessment questionnaire.
Interestingly, no link was found between financial vulnerability and two other brain areas—the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—which are typically involved in decision-making but are not affected early in Alzheimer’s.
Early detection of Alzheimer’s is crucial because brain changes can start decades before symptoms like memory loss appear. By the time someone is diagnosed, significant brain damage has often already occurred, making treatment much harder.
This study adds to growing evidence that poor financial decision-making might be an early behavioral sign of Alzheimer’s. Spotting this behavior could help doctors identify at-risk individuals earlier, allowing for interventions like brain scans, blood tests, or cognitive evaluations to assess their risk.
However, it’s important to note that not all older adults who fall victim to scams will develop Alzheimer’s. Factors like physical health, stress, and environment can also play a role. Vulnerability to scams may be just one clue that someone could benefit from further testing.
The study had limitations. It only measured brain structure at one point in time and didn’t directly assess Alzheimer’s disease markers. Most participants were white, female, and well-educated, which limits how broadly the findings apply.
Future research will track participants over time and include tests for Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. This will help clarify whether thinning of the entorhinal cortex increases scam vulnerability and how this might tie to early Alzheimer’s.
This research offers hope for earlier detection, potentially improving outcomes for those at risk.
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Source: The Conversation.
