THE U.S. POINTER STRUCTURED HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PROGRAM — PREVIOUSLY SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITION — MAY ALSO IMPROVE SLEEP APNEA, BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION, AND COGNITIVE RESILIENCE

Poor regulation of blood move to the mind and sleep issues/irregular sleep patterns are recognized danger components for cognitive decline and dementia, together with Alzheimer’s illness, so these new outcomes describe further advantages of the U.S. POINTER structured intervention.

The new knowledge reviews got here from a sequence of U.S. POINTER ancillary research funded by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA):

A fourth ancillary research, The POINTER-Microbiome Study, which presented a poster at CTAD 2025, will report more fully at a later date.

NIA Director, Dr. Richard Hodes mentioned, “I am very encouraged by these early findings from the U.S. POINTER ancillary studies, which offer valuable insights into the physiological mechanisms that may have contributed to the positive results of the U.S. POINTER trial. The forthcoming publications and continued analysis of this rich dataset will deepen our understanding of how multimodal interventions can support brain health.”

“These studies provide an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the impact that healthy lifestyle changes can have on overall health and risk for cognitive decline and dementia,” mentioned Dr. Kristina McLinden, Program Officer at NIA.

POINTER-zzz
In older adults, sleep problems are extremely prevalent, ceaselessly undetected or untreated, and related to poor mind well being outcomes, together with cognitive decline. This highlights sleep as a modifiable danger issue for Alzheimer’s and different ailments that trigger dementia. Interventions that enhance sleep may additionally enhance cognitive operate in older adults. Two elements of the U.S. POINTER’s structured intervention are bodily exercise and nutritious diet, each of which have been proven to enhance total sleep well being.

The POINTER-zzz research examined whether or not the approach to life adjustments may enhance sleep high quality in a subset of 780 adults who participated within the U.S. POINTER scientific trial. Nearly 65% of the research group had no less than delicate sleep apnea after they began the research. POINTER-zzz used easy sleep assessments that had been accomplished at house. The assessments contain sporting watch-like units in a single day to measure sleep apnea, restlessness and different sleep disruptions.

Respiratory disturbances from sleep apnea declined by 1 to 2 occasions per hour of sleep for research individuals within the structured intervention versus these within the self-guided group.

“We are excited about this finding, as it shows that the structured intervention improves not only cognition but also other behaviors that affect brain health, which may increase protection against dementia,” mentioned Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., Professor, Internal Medicine and Public Health Sciences; and Associate Director, Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center on the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC. “The positive effect of the structured intervention on sleep deepens the significance of the U.S. POINTER trial results for older Americans.” Dr. Baker is among the Principal Investigators of the father or mother trial and Principal Investigator of the sleep ancillary research.

POINTER-NV
Adequate blood move to the mind is important to take care of a relentless provide of oxygen and vitamins. While the relevance of decreased blood move to the mind in Alzheimer’s illness and associated dementias is properly documented, few research have investigated how vascular well being is important for regulation of blood move within the mind; this was the first focus of the neurovascular ancillary research.

POINTER-NV enrolled 491 father or mother trial individuals who accomplished complete testing of vascular well being at baseline, month 12, and month 24. Several forms of procedures, similar to ultrasound and steady blood stress monitoring, had been used to measure the construction and performance of the blood vessels within the physique and within the mind.

Many POINTER-NV individuals have points that pressure the center and blood vessels, like clogged arteries, stiff arteries, or drops in blood stress after they arise. The researchers discovered important advantages from the structured intervention on the cardiovascular system and its skill to reply to sudden adjustments in blood stress, indicating improved blood stress regulation, in comparison with the self-guided group. The structured intervention additionally improved a number of measures of blood-vessel well being within the physique’s largest artery and the principle arteries supplying the mind.

“Our findings indicate that a structured multidomain lifestyle intervention can improve the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure, which is crucial for proper brain blood flow to the brain. Improved blood pressure regulation can also reduce aging-related vascular changes that allow harmful, pulsing flow of blood — too fast and too much— into the brain. These benefits may help to support cognitive function and overall brain health in U.S. POINTER participants,” mentioned ancillary research Principal Investigators, Drs. Brinkley and Shaltout.

POINTER-Neuroimaging
POINTER-Neuroimaging is the primary large-scale investigation of how way of life interventions have an effect on organic markers of Alzheimer’s and dementia within the mind. Trial individuals from all 5 major research websites had been invited to obtain MRI and Aβ and tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to evaluate the consequences of the U.S. POINTER intervention on mind well being, together with (1) mind imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer’s and cerebrovascular illness and (2) cognitive advantages that had been influenced by these biomarkers.

POINTER-Neuroimaging enrolled roughly 50% of the father or mother trial individuals. The researchers discovered that folks within the research with sure Alzheimer’s-related mind adjustments — decrease hippocampal quantity or larger tau protein construct up — had better cognitive advantages from the structured way of life intervention than these with these mind adjustments within the self-guided group. However, the presence, absence or degree of amyloid within the mind didn’t affect the quantity of cognitive profit.

“Participating in the U.S. POINTER study’s structured intervention protected against the negative effects of tau tangle build up or smaller baseline hippocampal volume,” mentioned Dr. Susan Landau, Principal Investigator of the ancillary research. “In other words, people with certain at-risk brain characteristics saw greater cognitive benefits following the intervention, but amyloid build up — the primary biomarker that defines Alzheimer’s disease — was not one of those at-risk characteristics. This means that people with amyloid build up experience the same benefits from the intervention as those without amyloid.”

The US POINTER ancillary research are supported by the next NIH grants:

About the Alzheimer’s Association^®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary well being group devoted to Alzheimer’s care, assist and analysis. Our mission is to prepared the ground to finish Alzheimer’s and all different dementia — by accelerating world analysis, driving danger discount and early detection, and maximizing high quality care and assist. Our imaginative and prescient is a world with out Alzheimer’s and all different dementia^®. Visit alz.org or name +1 800.272.3900.

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