The New Open Systems Model: MEMORY LOSS IN OLDER ADULTS

Harry Bill

Rose

The Nuns of Mankato:

The amazing living, ever-developing, self-healing human brain. [Neural Plasticity Confirmed]

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, 2011

*Note: The beta amyloid hypothesis is the supporting model for justifying the currently prescribed Alzheimer’s medications, which are rapidly falling out of favor.

Is the Beta Amyloid Hypothesis* Flawed?1. Abnormal accumulations of beta amyloid (the protein in plaques) and tau (the protein in tangles) are not harmful, but are simply end-stage signs of other health problems, such as long-term inflammation.

2. Recent research suggests that beta amyloid is actually protective of surviving brain neurons–a normal immune response and an anti-oxidant guardian against further damage

3. The accumulation of beta amyloid that can be seen at autopsy (and in brain scans) is not well correlated with dementia, despite what Pharma-financed studies suggest

4. Focus on these abnormal proteins has crowded out funding needed to research other more promising hypotheses & over-promotes questionable diagnosis and medication *Note: The shrinking brain model is fast replacing the beta amyloid hypothesis, but errs in presenting the shrinking brain as if it also is irreversible, again setting the stage for promoting costly and questionable drugs instead of addressing underlying contributors.

M.S. Chartrand, DigiCare Behavioral Research, 2015

Symptomatic comparison: AD & HLSymptomatic comparison: AD & HLLate Onset Alzheimer’s Untreated Hearing Loss Depression, anxiety, disorientation Depression, anxiety, social isolation

Reduced language comprehension Reduced speech discrimination

Impaired memory (esp. short-term) Reduced cognitive input into memory

Inappropriate psychosocial responses Inappropriate psychosocial responses

Loss of recognition (agnosia) Reduced mental scores (cognitive dysfunction)

Denial, defensiveness, negativity Denial, defensiveness, negativity

Distrust, suspicion of other’s motives Distrust, paranoia (e.g., belief that others are talking about them)

(Chartrand, 1994,

2006)

University of South Florida study (1996)(1996)

Out of 52 elderly patients that were diagnosed with memory disorders…

49 were found to suffer from “serious” unmitigated hearing loss

None utilized hearing aids for their hearing loss

After fitting of hearing aids & 6 months of AR, study reduced to a handful of subjects

DigiCare®

Feb. 2011 Study, Johns Hopkins (National Institute on Aging): Mild Hearing Loss (HL) 2x Alzheimer’s Disease (AD); Moderate HL 3x AD; and Severe Hearing Loss 5X AD in older adults with both HL loss and AD—Archives of Neurology.