Big heads may cope better with having Alzheimer's

Published on Monday 12 July 2010 15:31

People with big heads may be protected if they develop Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests.

Scientists have found that large-headed individuals with Alzheimer's have better memory and thinking skills than sufferers with smaller heads. The difference can be seen even when the rate of brain cell death is the same in both groups.

Study leader Robert Perneczky, of the Technical University of Munich in Germany, said: "These results add weight to the theory of brain reserve, or the individual capacity to withstand changes in the brain.

"Our findings also underline the importance of optimal brain development early in life, since the brain reaches 93 per cent of its final size at age six."

While brain growth is partly determined by genetics, it is also influenced by diet, infections and inflammation.

"Improving prenatal and early-life conditions could significantly increase brain reserve, which could have an impact on the risk of developing Alzheimer's or the severity of symptoms of the disease," he said.

Some 270 people with Alzheimer's underwent memory skills tests as well as scans during the study to assess their levels of brain cell death. The results, published in Neurology, showed that for every 1 per cent of brain cell death, an additional 1cm of head size was linked to a 6 per cent improvement in memory.