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Lowering blood pressure more than usually recommended not only helps prevent heart problems, it also cuts the risk of mental decline that often leads to Alzheimer's disease, a major study finds. It's the first time a single step has been clearly shown to help prevent a dreaded condition that has had people trying crossword puzzles, diet supplements and a host of other things in hope of keeping their mind sharp. (7/25)

The study showed that using common medications to reduce systolic blood pressure to below 120 reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment by about 19% compared with lowering to less than 140—the standard target until a few years ago. Mild cognitive impairment is a slight but noticeable decline in memory and other thinking skills and is considered a potential precursor to dementia. It increases a patient’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the dementia-causing disorder that affects about 5.7 million Americans. (Loftus, 7/25)

The findings, which are expected to be published later this year, could provide a relatively easy way to lower the rate of Alzheimer’s dementia, which in the United States is 10 percent of people 65 and older. “For many years now, we’ve observed that people with lower blood pressure, even if it’s achieved through medication, have a lower risk for developing dementia,” said Jeff Williamson, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology and chief of geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., who presented the study. “Now, for the first time in history, we have something to say if you lower your blood pressure you can lower your risk for mild cognitive impairment and dementia.” (Bahrampour, 7/25)

Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure in a person’s arteries during the contraction of her heart muscle. Because it is the highest pressure to which the blood vessels are subjected, systolic blood pressure is thought to have the most detrimental impact on the delicate capillaries that nourish the brain as well as the kidneys, heart and liver. In large populations, lowering that reading to 120 already has been found to reduce rates of cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. (Healy, 7/25)

For the first time in history, researchers have found medicine that can reduce the risk of memory loss and dementia in your golden years. Even better, most forms of the treatment are available in safe, inexpensive generic formulations. The twist? These drugs have been around for decades, since they’re widely used to lower blood pressure and ward off heart disease. (Cortez, 7/25)

A handful of Alzheimer’s patients signed up for a bold experiment: They let scientists beam sound waves into the brain to temporarily jiggle an opening in its protective shield. The so-called blood-brain barrier prevents germs and other damaging substances from leaching in through the bloodstream — but it can block drugs for Alzheimer’s, brain tumors and other neurologic diseases, too. Canadian researchers on Wednesday reported early hints that technology called focused ultrasound can safely poke holes in that barrier — holes that quickly sealed back up — a step toward one day using the non-invasive device to push brain treatments through. (Neergaard, 7/25)