Dr. Lisa Delano-Wood - Alex Weigand, Doctoral Student

A team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a class of drugs used for a broad array of conditions, from allergies and colds to hypertension and urinary incontinence, may be associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, particularly in older adults at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Association of anticholinergic medication and AD biomarkers with incidence of MCI among cognitively normal older adults https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2020/09/02/WNL.0000000000010643

[2:02] What spurred this research initially?

• Wanted to know about risk factors for Alzheimer’s

[7:45] Anti- cholinergic drugs.

• Used for urinary incontinence, allergies, heart complications.
• Inhibit acetyl choline production in the brain.

[9:55] Study design.

• Analyzed the drugs’ impact on 70-80 year olds who were at risk of Alzheimer’s but were cognitively normal.
• Those on anti-cholinergic were at 50% increased risk of cognitive decline.
• Looked at saliva samples and cerebral spinal fluid for markers.
• Analyzed the ratio of Tau to amyloid protein.

[18:29] the role of acetyl choline in the onset of Alzheimer’s.

[28:00]Was there a long onset to cognitive decline when using these drugs?

• Some declined within a 2-3 year period.
• The cumulative effects have not been measured.

[35:09] metabolically deranged individuals.

• In general, metabolic condition and gut microbiome influence the brain.
• Metabolic disorders can affect how these drugs are metabolized.
• Acetyl choline dampens neural inflammation.

[38:15] dietary choline intake.

• Nutrition and lifestyle are 2 areas that everyone can use as an intervention.

[42:43] what about sleep?

• Sleep medications block N4 sleep.
• There are psychological interventions that can be performed before taking sleep meds.

[55:15] What Carl uses before bedtime.

• Melatonin
• Glycine
• Low dose magnesium citrate.
• Turn off cell phone or put it on airplane mode.

[1:02:36] deep sleep inducing peptide.

• Melatonin does not affect the cholinergic system.