A class of medications previously linked to cognitive impairment in older adults also appears to negatively affect their physical functioning. [s]Science Newsline[/s] reports that in a systemic review of more than a decade of studies on the effects of drugs with anti-cholinergic properties, investigators from the [b]Regenstrief Institute, the Indiana University Centre for Aging Research, the University of East Anglia[/b] and several other [b]UK[/b] institutions, report that these drugs have a significant adverse effect on both cognitive and physical functioning, including the ability to feed and dress oneself. Anticholinergic medications affect the brain by blocking acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter. They are sold over the counter as sleep aids and bladder leakage preventives and prescribed for many diseases including hypertension and congestive heart failure. The researchers are working to identify alternatives to exposure to anti-cholinergic medications.
[link url=http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2014073116470018.html]Full Science Newsline report[/link]
[link url=http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/07/19/ageing.afu096.abstract?sid=5fc731f1-7a0a-421c-88b5-b7317cc77c1f]Age and Ageing abstract[/link]