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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> People who scored 4.2 out of 5 on the purpose-in-life measure were about 2.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, compared with people who scored 3.0, the study found.
It's not known whether there is a biological reason for this finding, the researchers noted.
"One possibility is that, truly, somebody with high purpose in life might have a lower risk of developing dementia because of what's involved in purpose in life," Buchman said.
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"The importance of the study," he added, "is this doesn't prove anything, but it points researchers in the direction of a link between purpose in life and cognition in late life. And now we have to find out what the biological basis is."
Still, the researchers think these findings could have implications for public health.
"More social activity, more physical activity, higher cognitive activities, high purpose in life -- all these psychosocial factors seem to be linked with longer life, decreased mortality, decreased disability and provide important clues to a public health approach to try to increase independence in older people in later life," Buchman said.
Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, wondered if the study is really measuring depression, not a purposeful life.
"I am unclear about how low scores on the purpose-in-life measures can be separated from mild depression," Cole said. "Depression has been repeatedly associated with increased Alzheimer's disease risk. So psychiatrists can make a distinction, but they seem likely closely related."
"One wonders whether this is a treatable psychiatric condition contributing to risk or an early symptom of decline," he added.
William H. Thies, chief medical and scientific officer at the Alzheimer's Association, said the new study "contributes to the literature that says there is a linkage between behavior and disease."
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