We can cure Alzheimer ’s – if we stop ignoring it | Joseph Jebelli

The disease is now the leading cause of death among the oldest people. Given focus and funding, however, Alzheimer ’s will yield to science and reason• Joseph Jebelli is a neuroscientist and authorThe terror of Alzheimer ’s is that it acts by degrees, and can therefore bewilder family members as much as its victims. Those who first notice the onset of Alzheimer’s in a loved one tell of forgotten names and unsettling behaviour, of car keys found in the fridge and clothing in the kitchen cabinet, of aimless wander ings.Naturally, they want to understand the boundaries of normal ageing and whether these are being crossed. Often, the answer arrives when they ’re greeted as complete strangers, when the patient’s mind becomes irrevocably unmoored from its past. The disease is terrifying for its insidiousness as well as its long-term manifestations.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - July 19, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Joseph Jebelli Tags: Alzheimer's Charities Science Dementia Medical research Ageing Older people Source Type: news