Thursday, October 6, 2016

Women’s better verbal skills may mask early Alzheimer’s: VIDEO

Women tested better when it came to verbal memory compared to men, even when scans showed similar brain changes, a new study shows.  IPGGUTENBERGUKLTD, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in women may be more difficult than in men because older women tend to retain better verbal memory, according to new research.

The findings suggest that memory tests for Alzheimer’s may need to be adjusted for this gender difference, said a team led by Erin Sundermann of the University of California, San Diego.

“Women perform better than men on tests of verbal memory throughout life, which may give them a buffer of protection against losing their verbal memory skills in the precursor stages of Alzheimer’s disease, known as mild cognitive impairment,” explained Sundermann. She conducted the research while at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

Sundermann said the findings are important “because verbal memory tests are used to diagnose people with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment, so women may not be diagnosed until they are further along in the disease.”

Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by CBSNEWS

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