For some time your loved ones no longer seem to laugh at the same things? This change could be the early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study of researchers at University College London (UCL).
Scientists conducted a study with 48 people with Alzheimer’s disease to assess the change in their sense of humor. They analyzed what made them laugh and asked those close to them if their humor had changed over the past 15 years. Researchers have found that people with Alzheimer’s disease tend to prefer slapstick humor over satirical and absurd humor compared to healthy people of the same age.
Memory loss is not the only warning sign of the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This study highlights the importance of changes in mood and humor, as they could act as a red flag for underlying brain changes.
“As the sense of humor that defines us is used to build relationships with those around us, changes in what we find funny have daily impacts. As well as providing clues to underlying brain changes, subtle differences in what we find funny could help differentiate between different diseases that cause dementia. ,” explained Dr Camilla Clark, who led the research at the Dementia Research Centre, UCL.
Alzheimer’s disease in numbers
In France, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), 860,000 people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and the number of patients should reach two million in 2020. Alzheimer’s and related diseases represent the leading cause of age-related loss of intellectual functions.
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