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Brief Description:

A newly-updated book called Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery is now available from the National Institute on Aging.

Transcript:

Balintfy: A newly-updated book called Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery is now available from the National Institute on Aging. It answers a variety of questions about the disease:

Morrison-Bogorad: Especially those about how it can be cured or treated.

Balintfy: Dr. Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, Director of the Division of Neuroscience at the NIA, says the book explains what the healthy brain is like, and more.

Morrison-Bogorad: It focuses on how Alzheimer's changes the brain. It talks about current research, and puts a human face on AD research, and addresses the needs of caregivers.

Balintfy: Dr. Morrison-Bogorad emphasizes that the book is also a great resource to help the public understand the importance of clinical trials.

Morrison-Bogorad: Clinical trials are really the only way we have of finding out whether a drug that people thought that might be useful in treating AD, is actually going to work or not.

Balintfy: She adds that clinical trials also give patients the chance for treatment at the best facilities, and to have access to researchers knowledgeable about the disease. Yet more patients are needed for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials.

Morrison-Bogorad: Most of our clinical trials have trouble recruiting because the numbers we need are so large. And having difficulties recruiting can add to the cost and add to the time of the trial. So if you want to do anything for Alzheimer's research, try to enroll in a clinical trial. It's really very important.

Balintfy: Dr. Morrison-Bogorad points out that trials typically require thousands of people. To learn more about clinical trials and to get the latest on Alzheimer's disease, order the publication: Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery. It is available online at www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers, or by calling 1-800-438-4380. This is Joe Balintfy, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.