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  3. Understanding what distinguishes people who battle with Alzheimer’s as they age from those whose mental acuteness remains strong

Understanding what distinguishes people who battle with Alzheimer’s as they age from those whose mental acuteness remains strong

admin2018-07-10  37
问题     Understanding what distinguishes people who battle with Alzheimer’s as they age from those whose mental acuteness remains strong well into their 80s, 90s and even older, is a major focus of current psychiatric research Previous studies have pointed to the potentially protective value of exercise, social support and even language skills. And other studies have also shown that having a strong sense of purpose in life is, unsurprisingly, associated with greater overall mental health, happiness, and even longevity. A study published recently in the Archives of General Psychiatry expands on that research, finding that people who reported feeling a greater sense of purpose in life were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who reported feeling less fulfilled.
    The study, conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, analyzed medical records and life outlook among 951 participants from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. At the beginning of the study, participants’ overall sense of purpose in life was measured by assessing their level of agreement with 10 statements—such as, "I have a sense of direction and purpose in life,"—derived from a psychological well-being scale.
    After an average of four years of follow-up, 16.3% (155) participants had developed Alzheimer’s disease. When researchers analyzed the relationship between the psychological well-being scale and risk of Alzheimer’s, they found that participants who reported higher levels of fulfillment were significantly less likely to have developed the degenerative mental disease than those who expressed less sense of validation in life. In fact, participants with high scores on the life purpose test were 2.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared with those who had the lowest scores.
    Researchers say that what drives the correlation between reduced risk and heightened sense of purpose is not clear, and should be explored with future research Still, they expressed optimism at the findings, which add to studies that have linked sense of fulfillment in life everything from better sleep to improved psychological health. What’s more, because a sense of purpose is something that can be cultivated, researchers say that these findings could point toward new treatments designed to improve sense of fulfillment in older adults. If these findings are replicated, they say, "the implications could be far-reaching, and efforts to increase purpose in life may help reduce the rapidly increasing burden of cognitive impairment in old age."
    Perhaps Marlow and Frances Cowan can offer some insight into how to make the most of life as you age. It’s hard to watch the elderly couple’s playful—and off-hand—piano performance in a lobby at the Mayo Clinic without admiring their sense of fulfillment, and breaking into a grin.
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____.
选项 A、Marlow and Frances Cowan’s performances are ridiculous
B、people benefit from Marlow and Frances Cowan’s study
C、old people should learn from Marlow and Frances Cowan
D、Mayo Clinic can help old people maintain mental health
答案C
解析 根据题干可直接定位到最后一段。上一段提出也许可以通过增强人生目标感来提高老年人的满足感，从而减少老年痴呆症引发的危险。本段给出实例，其中谈到Marlow and Frances Cowan可以提供一些关于怎样在年老过程中充分利用人生的见解，说明其他人在年老时应该向他们学习如何make the most of life，由此C项符合文意。
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