The well-known and widely used drugs to treat anxiety and sleep disorders are benzodiazepines. They are effective and safe if used for a short period of time. However, their long-term use can not only cause dependence, but, particularly, in older people can lead to brain health issues.
Many older people have amyloid plaques in their brains but never progress to developing Alzheimer’s disease. It seems that amyloid accumulation on its own is not enough to cause dementia. So what is a trigger that starts the disease progression?
Most of us have combination of 3 fat cell types: mostly white, less beige and even less brown. According to a recent study, beige fat cells, or adipocytes, have a calming effect on the brain, bringing down the inflammation, caused by the more common white fat, and providing protection from dementia.
Our brain has an immune system with its microglia cells that aim to protect neurons from any damage. In healthy people microglia cells facilitate the neurons’ function. In case of Alzheimer’s, they defend neurons by surrounding the accumulation of highly toxic substances, known as ameloid plaques, preventing their spread in the brain and decreasing damage. […]