Is It Alzheimer’s? Here’s How to Tell

Senior moments can be scary. 

Not just because they make you feel old… but because they make you worry there’s something WORSE going on. 

Something like dementia or Alzheimer’s. 

If you’ve noticed that you’re not as “with it” lately—maybe you’re struggling to focus or have lost some motivation—I have some encouraging news for you. 

Here it is: 

Cognitive decline is not necessarily a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. 

You see, Alzheimer’s patients have certain physical hallmarks in their brains. There’s a buildup of abnormal proteins called amyloid beta plaques, brain cells start to die, and the entire brain essentially begins to shrivel up. 

The memory and thinking issues that develop on the outside are a result of the physical damage that’s happening to your brain on the inside. 

In a new study, researchers looked at the brains of older people who were experiencing cognitive decline. They referred to them as “cognitively frail.” 

They looked at their brain structure with an MRI, and at their brain function using an EEG. 

While cognitively frail adults performed similarly to adults with mild cognitive impairment on cognitive tests, their physical brain structure more closely resembled cognitively healthy adults. 

And that’s great news. 

Because if your brain is physically intact, there are plenty of ways to boost your cognitive function through the diet and lifestyle changes that I talk to you about daily in these e-letters.