When people think about dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease, they usually focus on memory loss. However, dementia can also bring significant changes to a person’s behavior.
People with dementia may become easily angry or upset, feel depressed or anxious, or even lose interest in things they once enjoyed.
These behavioral changes can be as disruptive as memory loss, affecting both the person’s life and their relationships with others.
Researchers from the University of Michigan are investigating what happens in the brain when these early signs of behavior changes appear. They used advanced imaging techniques to study the brains of 128 people who were in the early stages of dementia.
The focus of their study was on a protein called tau, which is known to build up in the brains of people with dementia. Tau has been previously linked to memory and thinking problems, but this study explored a new angle: how tau might affect behavior.
The researchers discovered that tau seems to interfere with a brain network called the “salience network.” This network helps us understand and react to what’s happening around us. It also plays a role in how we process our own thoughts and emotions.
The study found that when tau builds up and disrupts the salience network, people start experiencing more severe behavioral changes.
The salience network is like a communication highway in the brain, connecting different regions that work together to help us make sense of the world.
When this network is damaged, it can affect our behavior, making it harder to respond appropriately to situations or manage emotions effectively.
The study’s findings are important because they offer a new way to think about the relationship between tau and behavior in dementia.
While previous research has mainly focused on tau’s role in memory problems, this study highlights how it may also be responsible for some of the early behavior changes in dementia patients.
The researchers used two types of brain imaging to study these changes. One was functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which helped them look at how different networks in the brain are functioning.
They also used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to detect the presence of tau and another protein, beta-amyloid, in the brain.
Interestingly, the researchers found that the presence of tau was linked to changes in the salience network and behavioral symptoms, while beta-amyloid was not.
This connection between tau and behavioral changes could have practical applications. If doctors can detect tau buildup early, they might be able to identify patients who are at risk of developing behavioral problems before they even show memory issues.
This could lead to earlier interventions, possibly slowing down the progression of the disease.
One of the most exciting aspects of the study is the potential for new treatments. The researchers are interested in using brain stimulation techniques to target the salience network.
These techniques involve applying mild electrical currents or magnetic fields to the brain, guided by precise imaging, to try to improve network function.
They hope that by strengthening the salience network, they can slow down or even prevent some of the behavioral changes caused by tau buildup.
While this research is still in its early stages, it opens up new possibilities for understanding and treating dementia. The study provides a functional target for future interventions, giving researchers a specific brain network to focus on when developing treatments.
The next steps for the research team will involve larger studies to confirm their findings and explore how brain stimulation might help people with early-stage dementia.
They are hopeful that these new approaches could lead to better outcomes for patients, not only in terms of memory but also in reducing the behavioral changes that can make dementia so challenging for patients and their families.
As we learn more about how tau affects the brain, we may be able to develop new ways to detect dementia earlier, intervene sooner, and ultimately improve the quality of life for those affected by this disease.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The research findings can be found in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
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