BIG HEAD `MAY PROTECT AGAINST DEMENTIA`
Baku, July 13 (AZERTAC). Having a big head may help protect against the worst ravages of dementia, say researchers, BBC reports.
They found that people with Alzheimer`s with the largest craniums had better memory and thinking skills than patients with smaller skulls.
The Munich University team believe a larger head means there are greater brain reserves to buffer against dementia-related brain cell death.
Their findings, based on 270 patients, are published in the journal Neurology.
The patients were recruited through research registries or specialist memory clinics in the US, Canada, Germany and Greece.
They were given memory and cognitive skill tests and a brain scan to gauge the extent of their disease. They also had their head size measured.
A larger head was linked to better performance in the tests, even when patients had the same amount of Alzheimer`s-related brain cell loss.
Specifically, for every 1% of brain cell death, an additional centimetre of head size was associated with a 6% greater score on the memory tests.
Although brain size is largely determined by genetics, the researchers say lifestyle can have an impact.
Poor nutrition or disease in early life can compromise growth, for example.
