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It takes
decades for the plaques and tangles to move through the
hippocampus and the amygdala and ultimately take over
the Alzheimer's brain. The parts of brain in charge of
motor functions such as the midbrain and cerebellum are
affected gradually.
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Other researchers are pursuing the
implications of some interesting findings from population
studies: that people who take high doses of anti-inflammatory
drugs, and women who take estrogen, develop Alzheimer's at a
lower-than-expected rate. Some researchers now believe that
brain inflammation may play a part in the development of
Alzheimer's, and are investigating whether anti-inflammatories
and estrogen (which has an anti-inflammatory effect on nerve
cells) can be used to prevent or delay Alzheimer's.
Others are investigating the effect of diet,
specifically of restricting calories, since calorie
restriction may also prevent brain inflammation and perhaps
therefore the development of Alzheimer's.
One significant cause of
Alzheimer's symptoms is the fact that, as the disease
progresses, it destroys the brain's ability to produce an
important chemical messenger called acetylcholine. The
medications that are already in use to treat Alzheimer's
symptoms, mentioned above, all work by blocking an enzyme that
breaks down acetylcholine, thus preserving more for the brain
to use. Some researchers are now focusing on tackling the
shortage from a different angle, by increasing production of
acetylcholine.
Still other researchers are
testing the idea, gleaned from some population and animal
studies, that cholesterol may play a role in Alzheimer's
development. In 2002, there will be a large trial to see if
taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can slow down the
progression of clinical signs of the disease in patients with
mild to moderate Alzheimer's.
The above are only some
of a wealth of different avenues in research to prevent and/or
treat Alzheimer's. Bill Thies of the Alzheimer's Association
summed up the held-breath quality of this moment in time:
"Waiting for the results of all these trials going on right
now is like being a mother hen sitting on a bunch of eggs,
waiting for the first beak to pop out."
References:
1. Shenk, David. The Forgetting:
Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic. New York: Doubleday,
2001.
2. Cooney, Eleanor. "Death in Slow Motion: A
Descent into Alzheimer's." Harper's Magazine 30, no. 1817
(October 2001): 43-58.
Written by Sue-Young Wilson. |
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