This study is believed to have been the first to have documented the potential impact of emotional closeness on the course of the condition.

Subject: “Close Caregiver Relationship May Slow Alzheimer’s Decline”
A study led by Johns Hopkins and Utah State University researchers suggests that a particularly close relationship with caregivers may give people with Alzheimer’s disease a marked edge over those without one in retaining mind and brain function over time. The beneficial effect of emotional intimacy that the researchers saw among participants […] Read more.