Water On The Brain

The human body is mostly made up of water. Recently a team of Italian researchers studied the effects water had on the brain, and its link to Alzheimer’s and dementia. They measured the motion of water inside the hippocampus using cutting-edge brain-imaging tests. The scans showed people 50 and older with higher water motion did worse on simple tests measuring visual-spatial memory.

Multiple tests were used in the study to measure memory capabilities. Previous research did not link the volume of the hippocampus to performance on memory tests however the researchers used a type of analysis called diffusion tensor imaging. This is what lead researchers to find that subjects with high level of diffusivity in the hippocampus scored poorly on memory tests. While scientists aren’t sure why the increase in water would affect memory it does add new information to mounting research in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

In a related editorial Norbert Schuff, researcher of the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco said the study could become a valuable tool for detecting early Alzheimer’s. He adds, “As better medications become available, it will be essential to identify individuals at high risk for the disease not only early but also as accurately as possible so that treatment interventions can be most effective.”