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Scientists have demonstrated normal brain aging is accelerated by approximately 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes compared to individuals without the disease. The authors evaluated the relationship between typical brain aging and that seen in type 2 diabetes, and observed that type 2 diabetes follows a similar pattern of neurodegeneration as aging, but one that progresses faster. One implication of this is that even typical brain aging may reflect changes in the brain's regulation of glucose by insulin. The results further suggest that by the time type 2 diabetes is formally diagnosed, there may already be significant structural...

On the afternoon of March 12, 2014, Jennifer Collins checked her phone and found a message from her husband, Dave Collins, a retired Navy SEAL. He’d texted to say that she should pick up their son from kindergarten, and then this: “So sorry baby. I love you all.” Hours later, two police officers showed up at their house in Virginia Beach with news that Dave, 45, had shot himself in his truck a few miles away. Although Jennifer had held out hope for any other explanation, she also knew the moment she read it what the text meant. For months,...

Middle-aged could be screened at routine optician's visit A test that can detect Alzheimer's up to 20 years before any symptoms show is being developed by British scientists. The simple and inexpensive eye test could be part of routine examinations by high street opticians in as little as three years, allowing those in middle age to be screened. Dementia experts said it had the power to revolutionise the treatment of Alzheimer's by making it possible for drugs to be given in the earliest stages. The technique, being pioneered at University College London, could also speed up the development of medication...