For better, for worse, for brain health: What a spouse’s dementia means for you

As couples navigate life together, their shared habits can influence their brain health.

For better or worse, marriage has always been described as two people sharing one life.

Now, one of the largest dementia studies ever conducted suggests couples may also end up sharing something far more unexpected: their brain health.

A major new study published on July 20 in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) has found that people whose spouse develops dementia face a significantly higher risk of developing the condition themselves.

But before couples panic, researchers stress one important point: dementia is not contagious.