Socialisation can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, say doctors

Buddhi Clinic, an innovative organisation that offers neuropsychiatry and integrative medicine, organised an expo recently in connection with the World Alzheimer’s Day.

The theme for this year for World Alzheimer’s Day, to be observed on September 21, is “Never Too Early, Never Too Late,” reflecting the need to identify risk factors of the disease and take steps to reduce the risk and prevent the onset of dementia.

Vorapun Senanarong, associate professor at Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, spoke on the problems of behaviour that accompanies brain ageing. She outlined in her lecture the role of the brain’s frontal lobes, the social brain in modulating behaviour and how it changes with ageing and what happens in dementia. She was trained under Jeffrey Cummings, pioneer of behavioural assessment and management in dementia.

Vivek Misra, assistant clinical director and head, neuromodulation and clinical neurosciences, outlined the use of non-invasive brain stimulation in mild cognitive impairment, dementia with neurocognitive dysfunction and behavioural and psychological symptoms using case studies.  Doctors said a healthy lifestyle, good diet and sleep regimen, mental activity, exercise and socialisation would keep the disease at bay.

To detect the condition early, psychologists can administer simple memory tests and if the test validates a possibility of dementia, then a detailed evaluation for treatable causes and treatment must be taken up, doctors say. 

As dementia progresses, the patients and their families stop exploring treatment options. New and more effective drugs and a range of non-phamacological therapies are available.