PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Training to improve memory

2025-09-08
(Press-News.org)  

In Europe, almost one in 10 people over 70 suffers from dementia, and this figure could even triple by 2050 due to rising life expectancy. Over time, those affected lose everything that makes them who they are, including their memory and their ability to go about their everyday lives. Many also suffer from physical deterioration. In an advanced stage of the disorder, dementia patients generally require comprehensive care.

Now, the first drugs have emerged that can slightly slow down disease progression in the early stages of Alzheimer’s – which is the most common of several different forms of dementia. However, these drugs are not yet authorised in Switzerland and are only relevant to a small group of patients. In recent years, “exergames” emerged as a low-risk alternative or complement treatment to medications. These fitness games combine physical activity with brain-excerses – without any undesired side effects. In 2021, a study involving researchers from ETH had already shown that this kind of training improves not only cognitive but also physical abilities, as well as the quality of life of people with severe dementia.

Now, two new ETH studies have shown that training with “exergames” also works in older individuals with mild cognitive impairment – an early stage of dementia. “Not only did game-based training improve the cognitive performance of study participants, but we also measured significant changes in their brains,” explains Patrick Manser, who is now carrying out research at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Both studies emerged from his doctoral thesis at ETH Zurich and confirm the findings obtained in 2021.

Training for mind and body
In the two studies, Manser and his colleagues examined around 40 people with mild cognitive impairment and an average age of 73. Study participants trained at home for around 25 minutes, 5 times a week over a 12-week period, using a system consisting of a screen with the game software and a floor panel with four fields that measured the person’s steps.

The participants generally had to solve predefined tasks on the screen by performing a sequence of movements with their feet. For example, they would attempt to memorise a shopping list and then decide by stepping to the right or left whether the product shown was on the list or not. “Tasks like these train specific cognitive abilities that deteriorate in dementia patients, such as attention, memory or visuospatial skills,” says Manser.

Following the exercises, the study participants each had to breathe slowly and in a controlled manner for a period of time. By doing so, they regulated their autonomic nervous system by stimulating the  Vagus nerve and activated regions of the brain that are relevant to cognitive processes. This was intended to further boost the effectiveness of the training.

Memory improves significantly
In their first study, the researchers showed that there were significant improvements in the cognitive performance and memory of those doing the training. These improvements were not only statistically significant but also noticeable in everyday life – while shopping, in conversations or when dealing with stress, for example. Study participants reported feeling fitter, more lucid and more self-assured. In contrast, study participants in the control group, who continued with their usual therapies, experienced a worsening of their condition – which matches the typical disease progression.

The results are encouraging above all for people showing initial signs of dementia and for their relatives: “We hope that, with targeted exergame training, we’ll be able to slow down and reduce dementia symptoms,” explains project leader and co-author Professor Eling D. de Bruin, who carries out research at ETH Zurich and Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST).

Structural changes in the brain
In a second study, the researchers investigated whether the cognitive improvements were reflected in the brain. To their surprise, they could indeed detect changes in certain structures. In magnetic resonance images, the researchers found that the volume of the hippocampus – a region that plays a key role in memory – and the thalamus increased in those doing the training. They also observed effects in the anterior cingulate cortex, as well as slight improvements in the prefrontal cortex. In participants in the control group, on the other hand, the volume of these areas of the cerebral cortex decreased.

“These regions play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases. Reduced hippocampal volume is even considered an early feature of dementia,” explains de Bruin. The fact that the researchers were able to measure structural changes after just 12 weeks is, he says, impressive proof of the brain’s plasticity – even in people showing the first signs of dementia.

The researchers also showed that the changes in the hippocampus and thalamus were correlated with better cognitive performance and better memory. This is a first indication of a potential causal, disease-modifying effect of the training. “Our results give us confidence for the future. However, demonstrating whether the personalised, game-based training can delay or even prevent the development of dementia will require studies in which the participants train for longer than three months. There are already plans for projects of this kind,” says de Bruin.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Are patients undergoing surgery for early-stage cancer at risk of persistent opioid use?

2025-09-08
New research indicates that many patients who undergo surgery with the intent to cure early-stage cancer continue or start opioid prescriptions in the year following surgery. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Pain management is essential during cancer care, but prescription opioid practices associated with cancer treatment may lead to unsafe long-term opioid use and adverse outcomes such as opioid use disorder and opioid overdose. To assess the ...

Black youth, especially Black girls, use mental health services less than their White peers

2025-09-08
Black adolescents with mental distress are less likely to use mental health services than their White peers, and Black girls are the least likely to access care, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241733. “Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage and a critical period for onset of mental health problems,” writes Mercedes Sobers, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and research coordinator at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, ...

Canada must protect youth from sports betting advertising

2025-09-08
Canada must enact strong, effective legislation to protect youth from gambling advertising. Minors are suffering harms from problem gambling despite age restrictions, argue authors in an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251227 . Since 2021, ads for sports betting have saturated sports broadcasts, constantly viewed by children. Gambling is normalized as a natural part of spectatorship at a young age. Even before single-game sports betting was legalized, a 2019 survey of Canadian students in grades 7–12 found about 4% of students ...

First-in-human trial shows promising results for DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate SHR-4849 in relapsed small cell lung cancer

2025-09-07
First-in-Human Trial Shows Promising Results for DLL3-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugate SHR-4849 in Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer (Barcelona, Spain Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM CEST / UTC +2) — A first-in-human Phase 1 study of SHR-4849 (IDE849), a Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3)-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), demonstrated manageable safety and early signs of anti-tumor activity in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC).  The results were presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, ...

Ifinatamab deruxtecan demonstrates high response rate in previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: Phase 2 IDeate-Lung01 trial

2025-09-07
(Barcelona, Spain. September 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM CEST / UTC +2 )--Patients diagnosed with recurrent or progressive extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) may benefit from treatment with ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd), a B7-H3–directed antibody–drug conjugate, according to data presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Barcelona, Spain. New data from the Phase 2 IDeate-Lung01 trial in 137 patients who had received ≥1 prior line of platinum-based chemotherapy showed a confirmed objective response rate (ORR) of ...

Higher blood pressure in childhood linked to earlier death from heart disease in adulthood

2025-09-07
Research Highlights: Children who had higher blood pressure at age 7 were more likely to die early from cardiovascular disease by their mid-50s. The risk was highest for children whose blood pressure measurements were in the top 10% for their age, sex and height. Both elevated blood pressure (90-94th percentile) and hypertension (≥95th percentile) were linked with about a 40% to 50% higher risk of early cardiovascular death in adulthood. Researchers said their findings show why it’s important to regularly check children’s blood pressure and to help them develop heart-healthy habits early that can help lower their ...

AI helped older adults report accurate blood pressure readings at home

2025-09-07
Research Highlights: Use of an AI voice agent to prompt self-reported blood pressure readings helped to improve accuracy of blood pressure measures and patient outcomes in a group of majority ages 65 and older patients with high blood pressure. The study’s findings demonstrate how integrating AI into care can help to improve home blood pressure monitoring and completion rates, which can lead to improved quality outcomes for patients. Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published ...

High blood pressure in childhood and premature cardiovascular disease mortality

2025-09-07
About The Study: In a large sample of U.S. children born between 1959 and 1966, higher blood pressure (BP) at age 7 was associated with greater risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. These findings build upon prior research that linked childhood systolic BP with fatal CVD in young adulthood, but that sample had a follow-up duration through a mean age of only 46 years. This study extends that work with follow-up into the mid-50s and demonstrated consistency in the magnitude of the associations within siblings, which mitigates concerns regarding unmeasured confounding due to shared family or lifestyle characteristics. Corresponding ...

Zidesamtinib shows durable responses in ROS1 TKI pre-treated NSCLC, including patients with CNS disease and ROS1 G2032R mutations

2025-09-07
(Barcelona, Spain September 7, 2025, 10:45 a.m. CEST / UTC +2 ) — Zidesamtinib, an investigational next-generation ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) designed to be highly selective, brain-penetrant, and TRK-sparing, demonstrated clinically meaningful activity and durability in patients with ROS1-positive (ROS1+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had progressed on prior TKI therapy.  ROS1-positive NSCLC occurs in approximately 1–2% of all NSCLC cases. The results from the Phase ...

Crizotinib fails to improve disease-free survival in resected early-stage ALK+ NSCLC

2025-09-07
(Barcelona, Spain September 7, 2025, 10:45 a.m. CEST / UTC +2 ) — Crizotinib, an approved treatment for advanced ALK-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), did not improve disease-free survival (DFS) when given as adjuvant therapy in patients with surgically resected early-stage ALK+ NSCLC, according to results from the Phase 3 E4512 trial presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). The trial, conducted within the ALCHEMIST clinical trials program, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles

‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

[Press-News.org] Training to improve memory