Ancient texts and comparisons with the Tsimane people, who have low dementia rates, highlight the significant role of modern environments in dementia occurrence. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA current analysis by USC reveals that medical documents dating back 2,500 years rarely mention extreme memory loss, showing that contemporary times prevalent dementia stems from modern-day environments and lifestyles.You may think age-related dementia has been with us all along, extending back to the ancient world.But a brand-new analysis of classical Greek and Roman medical texts suggests that severe memory loss– occurring at epidemic levels today– was exceptionally unusual 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, in the time of Aristotle, Galen, and Pliny the Elder.The USC-led research study, released in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease, boosts the concept that Alzheimers disease and related dementias are illness of modern environments and way of lives, with sedentary behavior and exposure to air pollution mostly to blame.Observations from Ancient Greece and Rome”The ancient Greeks had extremely, very few– however we discovered them– discusses of something that would be like moderate cognitive disability,” said first author Caleb Finch, a University Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.”Ancient Greeks acknowledged that aging commonly brought memory issues we would acknowledge as moderate cognitive disability, or MCI, but absolutely nothing approaching a significant loss of memory, speech, and reasoning as triggered by Alzheimers and other types of dementia.Finch and co-author Stanley Burstein, a historian at California State University, Los Angeles, pored over a significant body of ancient medical writing by Hippocrates and his followers. In the lack of group data for ancient Greece and Rome, Finch turned to a surprising design for ancient aging: todays Tsimane Amerindians, an Indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon.The Tsimane– like the ancient Greeks and Romans– have a preindustrial way of life that is really physically active, and they have incredibly low rates of dementia.
Research shows that dementia, especially at epidemic levels seen today, was uncommon in ancient Greece and Rome, recommending it is a modern condition affected by way of life and ecological elements. Ancient texts and contrasts with the Tsimane people, who have low dementia rates, highlight the significant role of contemporary environments in dementia prevalence. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA recent analysis by USC reveals that medical files dating back 2,500 years rarely discuss serious amnesia, indicating that contemporary times prevalent dementia stems from modern-day environments and lifestyles.You might think age-related dementia has actually been with all of us along, extending back to the ancient world.But a brand-new analysis of classical Greek and Roman medical texts recommends that severe memory loss– happening at epidemic levels today– was incredibly rare 2,000 to 2,500 years back, in the time of Aristotle, Galen, and Pliny the Elder.The USC-led research study, released in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease, boosts the idea that Alzheimers illness and related dementias are diseases of modern-day environments and lifestyles, with sedentary behavior and exposure to air pollution mostly to blame.Observations from Ancient Greece and Rome”The ancient Greeks had very, very few– however we discovered them– points out of something that would be like moderate cognitive problems,” said first author Caleb Finch, a University Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “When we got to the Romans, and we revealed a minimum of four statements that recommend unusual cases of innovative dementia– we cant inform if its Alzheimers. There was a progression going from the ancient Greeks to the Romans.”Ancient Greeks recognized that aging typically brought memory issues we would acknowledge as mild cognitive problems, or MCI, however nothing approaching a major loss of memory, speech, and reasoning as caused by Alzheimers and other kinds of dementia.Finch and co-author Stanley Burstein, a historian at California State University, Los Angeles, read a significant body of ancient medical writing by Hippocrates and his fans. The text brochures conditions of the elderly such as deafness, lightheadedness, and gastrointestinal disorders– but makes no reference of memory loss.Centuries later on in ancient Rome, a few mentions emerge. Galen remarks that at the age of 80, some senior begin to have difficulty discovering new things. Pliny the Elder notes that the senator and famous orator Valerius Messalla Corvinus forgot his own name. Cicero wisely observed that “senior silliness … is particular of reckless old men, however not of all old men.”Environmental Factors and the Tsimane StudyFinch speculates that as Roman cities grew denser, contamination increased, driving up cases of cognitive decrease. In addition, Roman aristocrats utilized lead cooking vessels, lead pipes and even added lead acetate into their wine to sweeten it– unknowingly poisoning themselves with the powerful neurotoxin.(A couple of ancient authors acknowledged the toxicity of lead-containing product, but little development was made in dealing with the issue until well into the 20th century. Some scholars blame lead poisoning for the fall of the Roman Empire.)For this paper, Finch did not just think about the Roman Empire or the Greeks. In the absence of demographic data for ancient Greece and Rome, Finch turned to an unexpected model for ancient aging: todays Tsimane Amerindians, an Indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon.The Tsimane– like the ancient Greeks and Romans– have a preindustrial lifestyle that is really physically active, and they have extremely low rates of dementia. An international group of cognitive researchers led by Margaret Gatz, a teacher of psychology, gerontology and preventive medicine at the USC Leonard Davis School, found amongst older Tsimane individuals, only about 1% struggle with dementia. In contrast, 11% of people aged 65 and older living in the United States have dementia, according to the Alzheimers Association.”The Tsimane data, which is rather deep, is extremely important,” Finch stated. “This is the best-documented big population of older individuals that have minimal dementia, all of which suggests that the environment is a substantial factor on dementia threat. They offer us a design template for asking these questions.”Reference: “Dementia in the Ancient Greco-Roman World Was Minimally Mentioned” by Caleb E. Finch and Stanley M. Burstein, 13 February 2024, Journal of Alzheimers Disease.DOI: 10.3233/ JAD-230993The paper was supported by funds from the Cure Alzheimers Fund and the National Institutes of Health (P01 AG055367 and R01 AG05442).