Objective: This presentation will focus on dementia risk factors across the lifespan in a population of older Catholic sisters participating in the Nun Study.
Design: Longitudinal study with annual examinations and brain donation at death. The 678 participants were 75 to 102 years old at the beginning of the study in 1991.
Materials and Methods: There are three basic sources of information available in the Nun Study. First, convent archives provide a wealth of information about potential early, mid, and late life risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other disabling conditions. Second, annual exams of each participant document changes in their mental and physical function during the last years of their lives. Finally, because each of the sisters agreed to brain donation at death, the information garnered from the convent archives and annual exams are compared to the structure and pathology of the brain.
Results: The Nun Study provides a unique model or view of aging and disease. So far the study’s findings suggest that Alzheimer’s is a consequence of a long chain of events spanning the life course. For example, early life autobiographies from the convent archives have been used to show a strong relationship between low linguistic ability in early life and a high risk of Alzheimer’s disease in late life (Snowdon DA, et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, 275(7):528-532, 1996). Other findings from the Nun Study suggest that late life events, like stroke, can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and increase the severity of its symptoms (Snowdon DA, et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277(10):813-817, 1997). Complete abstracts of all publications from the Nun Study and other information about the study can be found at the Nun Study web page: www.nunstudy.org
Conclusion: Findings from the Nun Study suggest that Alzheimer's is a life long disease process with modifiable risk factors present throughout the life course.
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