NEWS > HEALTH > ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCHERS LOOK TO BRITNEY SPEARS FOR CURE

ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCHERS LOOK TO BRITNEY SPEARS FOR CURE

August 27 2009

Cleveland, OH – Alzheimer’s disease has become in recent years one of the most frightening and mysterious of brain diseases. With rates of the most common form of dementia on the rise researchers across the world are struggling with the mysteries of
the degenerative condition. Equally victims of the disease and their families are struggling with the disease as it becomes more and more pervasive in an ever aging population. Though science has made great strides in recent years the elusive answers to the disease remain hidden alongside the personalities of those afflicted.

Through the study of the disease much has been learned about the way the brain ages as well as the ways in which it processes information, giving new insight into the nature of brain and possibly paving the way for cures to other neurological ailments. Now a new study by a team at the Cleveland Clinic has started to explore new avenues for insight into the devastating disease in the form of Britney Spears. Published in the journal Neurology the team studied men and women of
varying ages exploring the impact celebrities have on their brain functions. In a controversial and unique conclusion they determined that Britney Spear may be causing damage in susceptible patients, a conclusion which if proven true could forever alter brain science.   

“When volunteers saw names such as Britney Spears, George Clooney, Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe, those who were at the highest risk of developing Alzheimer's showed high levels of activity in the hippocampus, posterior cingulate and regions of the frontal cortex, all areas involved in memory. The control group showed the opposite pattern. Their brains became more excited when they saw unfamiliar names,” said the study. “The conclusion is that the effort made to register and remember the types of names that healthy brains can’t seem to forget actually exacerbate the disease and could cause further degeneration of the brain tissue and neural receptors, causing Alzheimer’s to be accelerated.”

Though the study points towards all celebrities as culpable in the rise of Alzheimer’s – which has grown alongside the increasingly celebritycentric culture – pop stars such as Spears are being fingered as the primary culprits.

“The real concern here is what we are going to be seeing fifty or sixty years from now. As the generation that grew up on Britney Spears and N*Sync start to age the detrimental effects of those experiences are going to start to show themselves. While this gives us an exciting new insight into the workings of the human brain and the possible cause of dementia unless we can affect a solution we are going to have a lot of very ill people in the future,” said Scrape TV Health analyst Rebecca Phelps. “There are some who are surprised by these results but they really shouldn’t be. Anyone who heard Spears’ music who wasn’t a preteen was inevitably struck dumb by it. Even in healthy brains there is a strong likelihood that serious trauma could have occurred even in those who were susceptible.”

The current rise in Alzheimer’s is being linked directly to the rise of folk music in the 1960’s. Researchers believe that as the disco generation ages the disease will peak again.

“The interesting thing, or at least the most interesting thing to watch is how this will affect Spears herself. She’s halfway toward dementia already and she has had to listen to her own music repeatedly. Granted she’s probably heard it less than some of her most ardent fans but still, she’s heard it a lot and that will likely affect her,” continued Temple. “Of course trying to determine which is the healthy Britney Spears and which is the senile one will likely be hard to determine even for medical science of the future. Hopefully though record companies will take this study seriously and take a look at the music they are producing.”

Miley Cyrus fans have routinely tested low in I.Q. tests though it’s unclear if that will cause long term effects.   

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCHERS LOOK TO BRITNEY SPEARS FOR CURE