Alzheimer's is not just forgetting

The word Alzheimer's is a provocative term that conjures images of loved ones lost in a sea of their forgotten memories. But, what if the way we think about Alzheimer's disease is all wrong?

A group of 20 experts working for the National Institute of Aging and Alzheimer's Association released their recommendation for the future of AD research. They suggest we stop defining AD by memory decline. Instead, AD should be defined by physical, biological changes in the brain.

While we associate AD with the elderly, AD actually starts long before any memory decline. By the time people have symptoms, it may be too late to help them. So, scientists are focusing on younger people to describe the period of disease prior to the appearance of symptoms. This is called the preclinical stage. Focusing on this stage may lead to earlier and improved treatments.

Changing the language of AD is hard, and even disheartening. Defining AD by physical changes shifts the entire way we view the disease. These changes mean that someone in their 50s, with no memory impairment but who show brain changes would be deemed to be in the preclinical stage. Not everyone in the preclinical stage goes on to develop AD, but it increases your risk.

It's not all bad news. Knowledge is power. Understanding your own risk can help change your behaviors. Lots of studies have found that there are ways to decrease your risk, like changing your diet and exercising more.

Alzheimer's disease is scary. But, the more we talk about it, the less scary it becomes. It's important to remember that there are teams of scientists out there working tirelessly to help people with AD.

Claire Erickson

Mundelein