A study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found an association between sedentary behavior and an elevated risk for depression among 70-year-old adults, reports Psychiatry Advisor . The researchers analyzed data from 3,633 Swedish participants aged 70 years, collected between 2012 and 2017. Subjects wore an accelerometer at home for a week after their initial visits to measure sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA). The investigators learned the risk for depression was higher among individuals with a longer total sedentary time, with each 1 percent increase in sedentary time associated with a 3 percent increase in risk for depression. The risk also was higher among those with longer average length of sedentary episodes, in which each minute-long average increase in duration was associated with a 12 percent greater risk for depression. The researchers concluded that sedentary behavior "is a potential risk factor for depression among older adults," and the findings were strengthened by the "adjustment for PA and the use of an objective measure in a large sample." The researchers also noted that "the association between sedentary behavior and depression may be important to consider in the development of future recommendations."

The University of Denver's Eric Chess writes that initial clinical markers of cognitive decline can be seen in bank accounts more so than the brain, according to STAT . He says impaired financial decision-making can crop up decades before the advent of other traditional dementia symptoms. "While individuals with dementia are particularly vulnerable to financial exploitation and scams, those with unrecognized cognitive impairment likely make up a larger percentage of victims of fraud and exploitation, which cost older adults billions of dollars a year," Chess notes. "But impaired financial decision-making goes beyond vulnerability to financial exploitation and poor decisions about savings or investment, and can be seen in everyday financial decisions like managing credit cards, calculating tips, and unnecessary spending." Chess says the Financial Security and Cognitive Health Initiative is devising a screening test to spot mental impairment early, boost awareness, and augment cognitive and financial health. "Testing that is easy and accessible — like an app on your phone or a quick test from a financial planner or healthcare practitioner — could be used in ways that encourage protection and prevention through team-oriented approaches, social connection, and interdisciplinary solutions," he writes. "I foresee a future where individuals can be screened for early signs of impairment at a point in their lives well before any noticeable symptoms are apparent; a future when we abundant options to prevent cognitive impairment and protect against poor decisions, financial and otherwise, that are accessible to all."

A mice study in Toxicological Sciences suggests people who already have a copy of the E4 variant of the human apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene, which places them at risk of Alzheimer's, may suffer cognitive decline as a result of exposure to the heavy metal cadmium, reports Medical News Today . Researchers used mouse models of Alzheimer's with an activated version of the E4 or E3 APOE variant, then added low doses of cadmium to the drinking water, which the mice consumed for 14 weeks. The mice that had ingested cadmium exhibited poorer performance in novel object location tests, signaling reduced short-term spatial working memory. These symptoms manifested earlier in mice with the APOE4 gene than those with APOE3. Onset of symptoms occurred earlier in male mice than in female mice, and mice carrying the APOE4 gene performed worse in a maze test later in life than those with APOE3. "Our study provides direct evidence for an interaction between this Alzheimer's genetic risk gene and environmental exposures on accelerated cognitive impairment," concluded University of Washington School of Public Health Professor Zhengui Xia.

An analysis in Nature Medicine of plasma from more than 4,200 people between 18 and 95 years old found an association between 373 proteins and aging, reports United Press International . "It hasn't been appreciated that so many different proteins' levels — roughly a third of all the ones we looked at — change markedly with advancing age," said Stanford University's Tony Wyss-Coray. The implication of these findings is that physical aging is uneven, with three distinct spikes of protein levels in the blood at 34, 60, and 78. A blood test for these proteins may eventually be able to identify people who are aging abnormally faster, and face higher risk for age-related conditions like Alzheimer's or heart disease. The researchers suggested such a test also might help identify drugs or other factors that slow or accelerate aging. Still, the clinical use of such a test is at least five to 10 years away. "Ideally, you'd want to know how virtually anything you took or did affects your physiological age," Wyss-Coray noted.

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society observed significant geographic variance in the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in the United States, reports Healio . "Our findings underscore the need to consider regional factors when contemplating policy directive aimed at improving the identification and management of people with cognitive impairment," said Urvi Desai with the Boston-based Analysis Group. The researchers examined a 5 percent random sample of Medicare beneficiaries 65 or older, and retrospectively analyzed their administrative claims data. The overall diagnosed incidence of Alzheimer's fell from 1.53 percent in 2007 to 1.09 percent in 2014, with similar trends for most population areas. Incidence rates in 2014 ranged from 0 percent to more than 3 percent across population areas, with regions of the Midwest and South witnessing the highest incidence rates. Although little geographic variation can be explained by statistical models, following adjustment the rates in relative terms climbed the most in rural regions of western states. "Our findings add to the growing body of literature suggesting that despite the observed declines in overall rates of several chronic conditions such as dementia and cardiovascular disease compared with before, at a given point in time, there may be considerable differences in these outcomes across geographic regions," the researchers concluded.

A study in Nature Communications details a method for inducing cell division in the mature inner ear, and reprogramming the inner ear's cells to proliferate and regenerate hair-cell-like cells, reports Medical Xpress . This could provide a pathway to regenerating sensory hair cells and other important inner ear cell types in people with hearing loss. The researchers activated two molecular signals, Myc and Notch, in the adult ear, and learned that the mature inner ear cells can be triggered to divide. Some of the new cells developed characteristics of hair cells, including transduction channels that execute mechanical to electrical conversion, and the ability to form links with auditory neurons. "Our work revealed that reprogramming is achieved by reactivation of early inner ear developmental genes so that the mature inner ear regains neonatal properties, which enables them to re-divide and regenerate," noted Harvard Medical School Professor Zheng-Yi Chen. He added that the most important finding is that the "fully mature mammalian inner ear still retains the capacity to divide and regenerate if it is sufficiently reprogrammed, which removes a fundamental barrier that has prevented the inner ear regeneration necessary for hearing restoration."

The FTC recently sent a report to Capitol Hill legislators titled " Protecting Older Consumers 2018-2019 ." The report suggests steps that must be take to help safeguard seniors from fraud. Interestingly, the research determined that older men and women were the least likely of any age group to report losing money to scams. The overwhelming majority of fraud reports filed with the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network by people 60 and over did not indicate any monetary loss. What's more, consumers in that age demographic spotted fraud and reported it before losing any money at nearly double the rate of people between the ages of 20 and 59. From the data, we can infer that even if they were able to spot scams before losing money, senior consumers have heeded the law enforcement call to report fraud. However, when older consumers did experience consumer fraud, their reported financial losses were greater than what younger consumers reported. Consequently, sharing information with older consumers about scams is still very important.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to double funding on dementia research with an additional $107 million annually if the Conservative Party is reelected on Dec. 12, reports FierceBiotech . Conservatives have prioritized dementia research, both in their own spending plans and through the establishment of the Dementia Discovery Fund. Inaction due to Britain's vote to leave the European Union has seen the issue deprioritized, but the Conservatives are aggressively pushing it as a key area if they are elected with a mandate to address Brexit. According to the Conservative manifesto, finding a cure for dementia will be "one of its biggest collective priorities" if the party wins. The vow comes seven years after the Conservatives promised to double dementia funding to bring annual spending up to $84.7 million. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the additional funding could stimulate more investment in biopharma research and development. "This commitment is very welcome to help U.K. scientists find new ways to fight the disease," said the ABPI's Sheuli Porkess. "The U.K. is a global leader in research, and the announcement of a 'Dementia Moonshot' with significant public-sector funding will also encourage further private investment, which will generate valuable jobs and growth in life sciences."

Geriatricians can be a crucial resource in helping older adults navigate aging, reports SCNow . The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) aims to make more geriatricians available by rolling out a new geriatric fellowship program. MUSC's Mark Newbrough said specialists trained through this fellowship will likely remain in South Carolina. The fellowship also will enable the development of further programs and training of other healthcare professionals in addition to doctors. MUSC also offers geriatric training for family and internal medicine residents. MUSC's Amanda Overstreet supervises internal medicine residents, who complete one-month rotations with her and those she looks after in an outpatient setting, along with the neurology, memory, and movement disorders clinics and the Community Living Center at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Center and on the hospital consult service. In terms of hospitalizations, older adults are more at risk of certain complications like delirium, and Newbrough provides a geriatric consultation for surgeons and other doctors to help manage care. He added that as reimbursement models change, it is sensible for healthcare institutions to develop their geriatric workforce to deliver holistic care for older adults.

A study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests resistance exercise could help reduce bone loss in obese older adults, reports News-Medical . The researchers studied 160 obese men and women aged 65 or older who were living in New Mexico. Resistance exercise, alone or in combination with aerobic exercise, was found to be effective in reducing weight loss-induced decreases in hip bone density. Aerobic exercise alone was ineffective, which means resistance exercise can be recommended to shield against bone loss during weight loss regimens in obese older adults. "It is never too late to practice a healthy lifestyle through diet and regular exercise, especially that which includes resistance exercise to improve physical function and preserve bone health during aging," said Baylor College of Medicine's Dennis T. Villareal.