Alzheimer's: Every Minute Counts opens dramatically. A brightly lit cityscape slowly becomes dim as one by one--lights go out and leave total darkness. Cue the dramatic music and opening scene of a family in the midst of caring for a declining Alzheimer's patient and bam--you can't get to your check book fast enough.This documentary feels like an awareness of marketing campaign. Fear? Check. Dramatic music? Check. Heartbreaking scenarios? Check. Mention (multiple times) of need for funding but no mention of the amount of money already sunk into unsuccessful drug pipelines.
The problem? The opening scene depicts a woman with early onset Alzheimer's disease. A rare form of the condition that strikes fear in everyone--especially since the recent blockbuster Still Alice. The real truth lives somewhere between normal senescence and whatever triggers the abnormal pathology of Alzheimer's disease. You may be surprised to learn that we actually have no idea.
The problem? The opening scene depicts a woman with early onset Alzheimer's disease. A rare form of the condition that strikes fear in everyone--especially since the recent blockbuster Still Alice. The real truth lives somewhere between normal senescence and whatever triggers the abnormal pathology of Alzheimer's disease. You may be surprised to learn that we actually have no idea.
I particularly found the haunting warning of a zombie apocalypse a bit toothless. Especially since JAMA Internal Medicine recently published the data on the decline of dementia rates. A Comparison of the Prevalence of Dementia in the United States in 2000 and 2012
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Findings In this observational cohort study of more than 21000 US adults 65 years or older from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, dementia prevalence declined significantly, from 11.6% in 2000 to 8.8% in 2012. Meaning Population brain health seemed to improve between 2000 and 2012; increasing educational attainment and better control of cardiovascular risk factors may have contributed to the improvement, but the full set of social, behavioral, and medical factors contributing to the improvement is still uncertain. |
I don't know. The PBS documentary seemed like nothing more than a marketing campaign to increase fundraising efforts for Alzheimer's disease. I agree it is a formidable task but we certainly need to fail better and quicker. Wouldn't the funding be better utilized in prevention or symptom management? Do we really think there is a mono-therapeutic cure for comorbidity at the end of our lifespan? I suggest a more meaningful documentary Monster in The Mind. Here we learn about hope, prevention, and healthy aging.
Here is the current pipeline as reported recently in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Here is the current pipeline as reported recently in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
I will quietly hope for better outcomes but I will actively bring awareness to prevention and social correlates of health. Stay-tuned...
