Question

Are plastics in the brain linked to dementia?

Answer 1

Plastics in the brain are linked to dementia as studies of brain tissue from people with dementia have been found to contain up to 10 times higher concentrations of microplastics when compared to people without dementia.

Microplastics have been identified in human brain tissue, with concentrations of microplastics in brain tissue appearing to increase as time goes on.

And the brain's high lipid content and blood flow also may make it more prone to trapping these microplastic particles.

Microplastics have been identified by researchers on how they may harm brain health in several ways, which include.

Neuroinflammation or activating microglia or immune cells and triggering chronic inflammatory responses.

Oxidative stress and increasing the production of reactive oxygen species which damage cells.

And laboratory models also suggest that nanoplastics can also accelerate the aggregation of amyloid beta, which is a protein that is closely linked to Alzheimer's disease.

And the microplastics can also serve as carriers for other environmental pollutants or heavy metals into the brain.

Your body can warn you that dementia is forming in several ways which include memory loss, confusion, reduced concentration, behavior or personality changes and difficulty with everyday tasks.

When dementia is forming you start having difficulty in remembering recent events or losing items around the house, have increasing confusion or difficulty in following a conversation, difficulty in concentration or paying attention and may experience apathy, withdrawal, depression and other changes in behavior.

When dementia is forming you also start having difficulty in doing everyday and familiar tasks.

The number one trigger for dementia is confusion as well as pain, discomfort and a changing or overwhelming environment.

Other things that can trigger dementia patients include feeling disrespected or demeaned, loud noises, hunger, thirst or needing to use the bathroom and unfamiliar faces.

The number one food that fights dementia are fatty foods that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids that support brain health.

Other foods that help fight dementia and help improve memory and brain function are green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts and whole grains.

Whole grains contain fiber and B vitamins which support brain metabolism, nuts provide the brain with healthy fats and antioxidants, berries are packed with flavonoids that can improve cognitive function and green leafy vegetables contain antioxidants and vitamins that protect your brains cells.

The ways your eyes warn you that dementia is forming are through vision problems like blurry vision, loss of peripheral vision or difficulty with depth perception which can indicate you have dementia or are getting dementia.

With dementia you may also have difficulty reading, writing or understanding symbols or numbers.

People with dementia may also have visual hallucinations and see things that are not there and can be an early sign of dementia.

With dementia you may also have impaired visual memory and not be able to recall faces, objects or places.

A person with dementia sometimes but not always knows they have it.

In the early stages a person may know they have dementia, although many dementia patients may deny they have dementia or deny they are experiencing difficulties and is a psychological reaction which helps them to cope with difficult emotions.

People with dementia may also not recognize changes in their emotions and behavior and it's caused by physical changes in their brain.

The signs that dementia is getting worse are problems in memory and decision making, difficulty in communication, difficulty with tasks such as using a TV, bathing, showering, getting dressed paying bills etc.

Other signs that dementia is getting worse include increased frustration, increased anxiety , increased agitation, increased confusion suspiciousness, sadness and depression.

A person that has dementia that is getting worse can also experience hallucinations, seeing other people or objects that are not there and becoming more aggressive, lose their appetite, weight loss, loss of bladder control, increased falls, difficulty walking and keeping balance.

The causes of dementia to worsen are changes in the brain and chronic stress, routine changes to a persons routine.

Chronic stress in dementia can worsen dementia and cause memory problems, fainting, dizziness, depression and anxiety.

Other things that can make dementia worse are certain medications, brain injury, cancer or prion disease, lung and heart conditions which restrict the blood supply and oxygen to the brain and even infections or surgery.

As the dementia progresses in the brain it naturally gets worse as time goes by.

The reason dementia gets worse at night is because of sundowning, which is when symptoms of dementia like anxiety, agitation and confusion worsen as the daylight fades away.

The sundowning in dementia is often caused by fatigue from the day, low lighting, difficulty differentiating reality from dreams and disrupted circadian rhythms.

The dementia symptoms can be exacerbated by darkness and also the unfamiliar environment of nighttime.

Low lighting also can increase shadows and can cause the dementia patient to become confused by what they see and they may hallucinate and become increasingly agitated.

Most people with dementia also sleep a lot, especially in the later stages of dementia.

As dementia progresses the persons brain becomes more damaged which makes it harder to perform simple tasks such as understanding what is going on, communicating and eating which can be exhausting and lead to more sleep.

Dementia also makes it difficult to regulate the persons energy levels and can lead to excessive sleeping.

People with dementia often also take medications like antidepressants, antihistamines and antipsychotics can cause drowsiness.

Dementia patients also often experience other sleep problems which include restlessness, irritability and confusion as daylight begins to fade, napping a lot during the day and waking up many times during the night.

Answer 2

Plastics in the brain have been found to be linked to dementia.

However there's still more research going on to determine if there's a definitive link between plastics in the brain and dementia.

But many dementia patients have been found to have microplastics in their brain.