One-third of people older than 85 in the United States are estimated to live with Alzheimer's disease today, according to the National Institute on Aging. The condition's characteristic long, slow decline places an enormous burden on families and on society. While the need for new treatments is urgent, Alzheimer's is a complex disease that requires multidisciplinary research across a wide range of specialties.
In a new article led by Yale's Amy Arnsten, researchers from across numerous disciplines share an update on the varied efforts that are driving these new treatments.
Writing in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, the group of experts - whose fields span neuropathology, fluid biomarkers, PET imaging, and proteomics/transcriptomics, as well as basic research - focus specifically on the early stages of the disease when new preventive therapies may be most effective.
This integrated view highlights that Alzheimer's pathology can be initiated by many different factors, including protein buildups in the brain and inflammation that appear to drive neurodegeneration in the common, late-onset form of the disease, said Arnsten, the Albert E. Kent Professor of Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and professor of psychology in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
"We're at a tipping point in Alzheimer's research today where we have begun to have the first treatments for the disease, but we still have a long way to go," Arnsten said. "We need to keep pushing ahead to have more effective medications with fewer side effects."
In an interview, Arnsten explains why so many more people are expected to develop Alzheimer's in the coming decades, the opportunities for new treatments, and challenges that threaten to halt this progress.