Researchers at Stony Brook University have found that a significant number of first responders to the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster are experiencing cognitive impairment, which has long been considered a leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Nearly 13 percent of the responders, 104 of them, had definite evidence of cognitive decline, and 1.2 percent, or 10 people, already had possible dementia, according to Newsday.
The study, published on Monday, found the impairment to be most evident among responders who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, a common reaction in those who responded to the terror attacks.
The study also shows that responders who had a history of major depressive disorder were at risk for cognitive impairment.
The study appeared in the journal “Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring.”
