Action is needed to hold off a wave of dementia cases in an aging population. One of the most effective tools to reduce the prevalence of dementia is to address modifiable factors.
Alzheimer’s may not be primarily a disease of the brain. It may be a disorder of the immune system within the brain. Beta-amyloid may not be an abnormal protein, but part of the brain’s immune system.
A thinning of the retina is associated with earlier ageing of the brain. Widely available retinal imaging could help detect cognitive decline in its earliest stages.
Nonhuman primates like rhesus monkeys share certain characteristics with people that may make them better study subjects than mice for research on neurodegenerative diseases.
From thalidomide to resveratrol, molecules with the exact same chemical properties can have drastically different effects in the body depending on how they’re arranged in space.
Not all Alzheimer’s research has been compromised by allegations of scientific fraud. But we should interrogate whether the governing bodies of research and drug approvals are truly effective.
Much dementia research does not reflect ethnically diverse communities. Studies used to make policy, clinical and investment decisions in dementia should reflect the diverse Canadian population.
Because they help to create a shared understanding, metaphors can play a critical role in navigating the gap between the knowledge patients and health-care providers bring.
Joan O'Connell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Luohua Jiang, University of California, Irvine
A clearer understanding of the true treatment costs of dementia for American Indian and Alaska Native adults could help health services better meet the needs of the populations they serve.
If replicated in humans, these findings could mean that targeting or boosting the circadian rhythm in Alzheimer’s patients, could help with managing the disease