Alzheimer’s: A Biological Model of Prevention

News media are replete with alarming statistics about the current and future incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease. A recent CBS headline announced the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control predicting already troubling rates will “soar” in coming decades, with the number of cases potentially doubling by 2060 to almost 14 million Americans. With its impact going significantly beyond a personal toll to create devastating burdens on the family and the economy, Alzheimer’s Disease has become a disturbing public health phenomenon. What is most frightening is that despite billions of dollars spent annually on Alzheimer’s research, we don’t seem to be any closer to pinpointing a cause or finding a cure. 

Drug Development Hits a Wall

In the last few years, many major drug companies have ceased conducting clinical trials for Alzheimer’s Disease. Just this year, dramatic articles have announced that Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly/AstraZeneca, and most recently Pfizer have abruptly discontinued trials, halted research funding, and laid off researchers due to embarrassing or even dangerous outcomes. From thousands of failed trials, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a total of 5 drugs, only 3 of which arrived in the last 14 years. Sadly, none of these approved prescriptions has shown long-term effectiveness. As discouraging accounts continue to pour in, fresh perspectives and optimism are critical.

The Value of Early Detection

Experts agree that early detection is the primary goal, yet physicians rarely discuss preventive measures beyond generic diet and exercise mantras. Clinicians remain slow to translate into practice mounting scientific research identifying the risk factors and objective diagnostic markers that are essential for developing more effective prevention and treatment strategies. Many lack full understanding of the disease process and thus fail to explore unconventional options, offering little hope to patients and their families. Furthermore, all currently approved prescription drugs for Alzheimer’s were developed using incomplete models of disease, exemplifying the futile efforts of pharmaceutical research.

Many have described Alzheimer’s Disease as an inevitable effect of aging, but proof is mounting that its roots begin decades before obvious symptoms manifest. Neuroscientific discoveries have given us unprecedented knowledge about the how, when, what, and where of disease in the brain, and technological progress is allowing us to distinguish structural and functional impairments in their earliest stages of development. Consensus is gaining that, discovered earlier, brain damage leading to Alzheimer’s Disease may be both treatable and preventable. Robust research indicates that specific risk factors, genetic errors of metabolism, and biochemical imbalances are identifiable in the initiation of Alzheimer’s Disease that suggest precise, achievable treatment models based on individual variations.