#Neurodegeneration

Recent findings underscore the critical role of exercise in slowing the progression and managing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to a 2024 analysis in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Contrary to earlier beliefs that medication alone is central to the management of Parkinson’s, a growing body of research highlights how regular, vigorous physical activity may significantly reduce both the severity and speed of symptom progression. For Thai readers—with the nation’s ageing society and increased diagnosis of chronic conditions—these findings offer actionable hope and clear guidelines for living with and managing the disease.

A new wave of scientific concern is growing over emerging evidence that COVID-19 may be accelerating cognitive decline, raising the question: Is the coronavirus fundamentally changing the way we age? Doctors and researchers worldwide are alarmed by signs that surviving COVID-19 could hasten processes typically associated with aging brains—including earlier onset and greater severity of memory loss, confusion, and other neurological symptoms. These revelations, based on increasingly robust research, are already reshaping conversations about health, aging, and long-term care in Thailand and worldwide (WSJ).

Two recent deaths in Hood River County, Oregon, have reignited concern over Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare but devastating brain disorder that continues to puzzle medical experts worldwide. Local health officials announced that the fatalities were confirmed cases of CJD, a condition known for its rapid mental decline, neurological symptoms, and inevitable fatal outcome. News of these cases has caused unease not only among the local community in Oregon, where CJD remains exceedingly uncommon, but also for people in Thailand and globally who follow emerging infectious disease threats closely, particularly those with parallels to previous public health scares like mad cow disease.