Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery

Unraveling the Mystery
Thinking about Alzheimer's disease leads to questions such as: Will I get it? What causes it? What can be done to cure it or prevent it? Scientists ask the same types of questions, and this booklet describes their search for answers. It is written for people with AD, their family members, friends, and caregivers, and anyone else interested in AD.

Unraveling the Mystery has two sections. Part 1 gives readers the basics - it's a "walking tour" through the brain. Illustrations with text show what a healthy brain looks like and how it works, and what happens in a brain affected by AD. Part 2 talks about current research and the advances that are bringing us closer to ways of managing, and eventually defeating, AD. Throughout, terms in bold are defined in a glossary at the end of the booklet.

The end of the booklet also includes a list of publications and resources that family members and caregivers may find useful as they live day-to-day with the disease.

A booklet like this would not have been possible 25 years ago. Other than some basics, we knew very little about AD. We did not even know it was a distinct disease, different from normal aging. Today, we know much more about Alzheimer's disease - what it is, who gets it, how it develops, and what course it follows. We are better able to diagnose it early and accurately. We even have some promising leads on possible treatments. Recent studies are also beginning to focus on factors that might be used to reduce a person's risk of developing AD in the future. Research conducted over the last two decades has deepened our understanding of this devastating disease. It also has expanded our knowledge of brain function in healthy older people and identified ways we might lessen normal age-related declines in mental function.

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