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A long-running study has found that dementia rates fell steadily over the past four decades, most likely due to declining rates of heart disease. Although the Framingham Heart Study involved just 5,200 people, its findings likely reflect a national trend, said co-author Sudha Seshadri, a professor of neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine and a senior investigator with the study. Other research also suggests that dementia rates are declining in the U.S. and other developed countries. (Szabo, 2/10)

Researchers have found a small piece of good news for people at high risk of some kinds of dementia: it might be possible to delay it or even prevent it. They found falling rates of vascular dementia in people who also happened to improve their heart health. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, support the idea that what's good for the heart is good for the head. (Fox, 2/10)

The risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia is significantly higher in some racial or ethnic groups than it is in others, according to results announced Wednesday of the largest and longest study to look at the issue. (Colliver, 2/10)