Having a large head protects against Alzheimer's, study suggests

People with large heads may be better-protected against Alzheimer's than those with a smaller cranium, a study has found.

Researchers at Munich University believe those with a larger skull may have greater brain reserves allowing them to better cope with dementia-related cell death.

They studied 270 Alzheimer's sufferers and found those with the largest craniums had better memory and thinking skills than patients with smaller skulls.

Participants were given a series of cognitive and memory tests to complete.

The scientists also administered brain scans to detect the level of brain cell death that Alzheimer's had caused.

Their results, published in the journal Neurology, show that, for every one per cent of brain cell death, an additional centimetre of head size led to a six per cent better score on the memory tests.

Study author Dr Robert Perneczky said that changing lifestyle factors known to affect brain size could help fight Alzheimer's.

"Improving prenatal and early life conditions could significantly increase brain reserve, which could have an impact on the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or the severity of symptoms of the disease," he said.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's, which affects around 417,000 people in the UK, include loss of memory, mood swings and confusion.

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