Cognitive impairment and harmful protein deposition
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British researchers have now found that long-term negative thinking is a risk factor for dementia. It can limit mental ability and cause dangerous proteins to build up in the brain.
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Analysis of negative thought patterns such as fears for the future
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For their study, researchers from University College, London, asked 360 subjects aged 55 and over for two years how they cope with negative patterns of thought, such as fears about the future or thinking about the past. The researchers also examined anxiety and depression among the study participants. For the analysis, brain scans were performed by PET (“positron emission tomography”) in half of the people in order to measure the deposition of tau and amyloid. These two proteins are responsible for Alzheimer’s, the most common dementia disease.
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The researchers found the harmful proteins in negative-thinking subjects
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According to study director Natalie Marchant from the University College London Psyichatric Faculty, it was already known that anxiety and depression pose a risk of dementia in advanced age: “Now we have found that certain beliefs that lead to depression and anxiety are the underlying factors for the development of dementia. ” In subjects who often had negative thoughts, the researchers found increased deposition of the harmful proteins, memory loss and cognitive disorders.
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Researchers recommend meditation for prevention
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To counteract negative thoughts, according to Marchant and colleagues, it helps to integrate mental training such as meditation into everyday life in order to promote positive thinking patterns. According to the researchers, the form of relaxation should be anchored in the health system – not only to acutely improve mental well-being, but also to prevent long-term consequences such as dementia.
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