Atrophy

An interesting article titled “Associations of Dental Health With the Progression of Hippocampal Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Individuals: The Ohasama Study,” written by Satoshi Yamaguchi and et. al. appears in Neurology, published on Juy 5, 2023. The article sought to explore associations between the number of teeth present and hippocampal atrophy older patients 55 years and older in a longitudinal study. The hippocampus is part of the brain that is important for learning and memory. With Alzheimer’s disease, atrophy of the hippocampus is a common feature but other factors, such as periodontitis (gum disease) can be seen. The researchers were under the assumption that the association between dental health and hippocampal atrophy might be due to inflammation. Gum disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, and inflammation has been shown to damage the hippocampus. The study included 172 people with an average … Read more