Understanding Alzheimer’s: Why new research is important

All of us at some point have an episode of not being able to remember why we came into a room, or going to the store for one item and failing to pick that item up before leaving the store, but those are common to everyone, and seem to increase with age.

For about five million Americans, these type issues are far from common.  People who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease struggle with these types of occurrences many times per day, and much worse.  Those people sometimes forget to dress themselves, forget important appointments and can’t remember to take their medications.  As the disease progresses, cognitive abilities continue to decline and simple tasks such as going to the mailbox could lead to disorientation and being unable to remember how to get back home.

Unfortunately, there is little that can be done for them.  There are five drugs currently on the market for Alzheimer’s patients that are used to slow the progression of the disease, but none of them seem to work for very long.  Experts suspect the reason is that the brain has already been damaged before the symptoms begin to appear and the diagnosis is made, possibly even as much as 20 years before.

That is why Alzheimer’s research is so important.  The cause of the disease is still mostly unknown.  Less than five percent of the diagnosed cases have been linked to specific gene mutations, and other diseases seem to increase the risk of getting the disease, such as heart disease and depression.

Even the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is somewhat subjective.  It usually involves a series of tests, assessing memory and cognitive abilities, but these can only be done as the disease has already taken hold.  Brain scans and spinal taps to check for accumulation of amyloid, a protein associated with the disease, in the brain or spinal fluid.

But the cure seems to be in finding a way to prevent the disease in the first place.  At this point, there is no clear answer for stopping the on-set of the disease, although new research is suggesting exercise, healthy diets and social and educational activities can possibly at least delay the disease.  But no magic bullet has yet been found that will stop the disease in its tracks.

Research and raising awareness programs continue to offer hope, if not for those with the disease now, at least for the next generation.  There are a number of clinical trials underway, and possibly one of these will lead to the discovery that can eradicate this terrifying condition.

That is why Alzheimer’s research is important.