Health Care News
Mental lapses may be a sign of Alzheimer’s
Mar/05/2010
American Academy of Neurology 
Results from a new study show that older people prone to cognitive fluctuations – episodes of disorganized or illogical thought, staring into space, or feeling drowsy despite getting plenty of rest – may be more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease, according to a press release from the American Academy of Neurology.
It is known that these types of mental lapses are related to a certain type of dementia, but the relationship with Alzheimer’s was not clear. Researchers gathered data from 511 people with an average age of 78, and found that those who experienced cognitive fluctuations were 4.6 times more likely to have dementia than those who did not experience cognitive fluctuations. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive fluctuations significantly affected dementia severity and neuropsychological performance.
Click here for an abstract of the study, available online from the journal Neurology.