Few medical or scientific addresses have so unmistakeably made history as the presentation delivered by Alois Alzheimer on November 4, 1906 in Tübingen. The celebratory event "Alzheimer 100 Years and Beyond" was organized through the Alzheimer community in Germany and worldwide, in collaboration with the Fondation Ipsen. This volume, a collection of articles by the invited speakers and of a few other prominent researchers, is published as a record of those events.

Alzheimer’s disease, a haunting and harrowing ailment, is one of the world’s most common causes of death. Alzheimer’s lingers for years, with patients’ outward appearance unaffected while their cognitive functions fade away. Patients lose the ability to work and live independently, to remember and recognize. There is still no proven way to treat Alzheimer’s because its causes remain unknown. Mind Thief is a comprehensive and engaging history of Alzheimer’s that demystifies efforts to understand the disease. Beginning with the discovery of “presenile dementia” in the early twentieth century, Han Yu examines over a century of research and controversy. She presents the leading hypotheses for what causes Alzheimer’s; discusses each hypothesis’s tangled origins, merits, and gaps; and details their successes and failures. Yu synthesizes a vast amount of medical literature, historical studies, and media interviews, telling the gripping stories of researchers’ struggles while situating science in its historical, social, and cultural contexts. Her chronicling of the trajectory of Alzheimer’s research deftly balances rich scientific detail with attention to the wider implications. In narrating the attempts to find a treatment, Yu also offers a critical account of research and drug development and a consideration of the philosophy of aging. Wide-ranging and accessible, Mind Thief is an important book for all readers interested in the challenge of Alzheimer’s.

A definitive and compelling book on one of today's most prevalent illnesses. In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s, and more than half a million died because of the disease and its devastating complications. 16 million caregivers are responsible for paying as much as half of the $226 billion annual costs of their care. As more people live beyond their seventies and eighties, the number of patients will rise to an estimated 13.8 million by 2050. Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future of the disease, The Problem of Alzheimer's traces Alzheimer’s from its beginnings to its recognition as a crisis. While it is an unambiguous account of decades of missed opportunities and our health care systems’ failures to take action, it tells the story of the biomedical breakthroughs that may allow Alzheimer’s to finally be prevented and treated by medicine and also presents an argument for how we can live with dementia: the ways patients can reclaim their autonomy and redefine their sense of self, how families can support their loved ones, and the innovative reforms we can make as a society that would give caregivers and patients better quality of life. Rich in science, history, and characters, The Problem of Alzheimer's takes us inside laboratories, patients' homes, caregivers’ support groups, progressive care communities, and Jason Karlawish's own practice at the Penn Memory Center.

Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain and destroys memory and thinking skills over time. As many as five million adults in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease today, and that number will continue to grow as the population ages. Alzheimer’s Disease provides straight-forward answers to common questions about the disease. Using a question–answer format, the book is designed to give caregivers, family members, and friends of people with Alzheimer’s disease easy access to the practical information they need to understand the symptoms, its treatment, and how to preserve quality of life. Although Alzheimer’s disease was identified more than 100 years ago, it is only within the last 30 years that research into the disease has gained momentum. Much is left to discover, including the exact biological changes that cause it and how to reverse, slow, or prevent it. Features: •Questions and answers about the medical definition/descriptions of Alzheimer’s disease; the source/causes; details of symptoms; available treatments, etc. •Covers symptoms, diagnosis, drug and non-drug treatments, care giving, social issues, and more •Resources including Web sites, articles, blogs, etc. from NIH, CDC, YouTube, FDA, and more •Includes a companion disc with articles, animations, color figures from the book, Web links, etc. eBook Customers: Companion files are available for downloading with order number/proof of purchase by writing to the publisher at [email protected].

Alzheimer's disease was discovered over 100 years ago and still belongs to incurable neurological diseases; its pharmacotherapy is considered to be ineffective. This book presents contemporary views on the genetic, biochemical, and immunological determinants of this disease. This book also concerns the issue of Alzheimer's disease prevention through lifestyle and physical activity. Moreover, it describes the therapies used in Alzheimer's disease to slow the progression of the disease and delay its onset. Subsequently, the authors discuss experimental and clinical trials used now and in the near future. We hope that this book will help the readers to understand the complex mechanism leading to the development of Alzheimer's disease and indicate effective ways to prevent this disorder.

An illuminating biography of "the plague of the twenty-first century" and scientists' efforts to understand and, they hope, prevent it, The End of Memory is a book for those who want to find out the true story behind an affliction that courses through families and wreaks havoc on the lives of millions. It is a wicked disease that robs its victims of their memories, their ability to think clearly, and ultimately their lives. For centuries, those afflicted by Alzheimer's disease have suffered its debilitating effects while family members sit by, watching their loved ones disappear a little more each day until the person they used to know is gone forever. The disease was first described by German psychologist and neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. One hundred years and a great deal of scientific effort later, much more is known about Alzheimer's, but it still affects millions around the world, and there is no cure in sight. In The End of Memory, award-winning science author Jay Ingram writes a biography of this disease that attacks the brains of patients. He charts the history of the disease from before it was noted by Alois Alzheimer through to the twenty-first century, explains the fascinating science of plaques and tangles, recounts the efforts to understand and combat the disease, and introduces us to the passionate researchers who are working to find a cure.

Alzheimer’s Disease is characterized pathologically by two principal hallmark lesions: the senile plaque and the neurofibrillary tangle. Since the identification of each over 100 years ago, the major protein components have been elucidated. This has led in turn to the elaboration of metabolic cascades involving amyloid-β production in the case of the senile plaque, and phosphorylated-tau protein in the case of the neurofibrillary tangle. The pathogenesis and histogenesis of each have been the source of extensive investigation and some controversy in recent years, as both cascades have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease, relied upon in the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease at autopsy, and targeted for therapeutic intervention. With the accumulation of data and expansion of knowledge of the molecular biology of Alzheimer’s Disease, it appears that the enthusiasm for successful intervention has been premature. In this book, we detail the discovery and characterization of the major pathological lesions, their associated molecular biology, their relationship to clinical disease, and potential fundamental errors in understanding that may be leading scientific investigators in unintended directions.

For readers of Atul Gawande, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Henry Marsh, a riveting, gorgeously written biography of one of history's most fascinating and confounding diseases -- Alzheimer's -- from its discovery more than 100 years ago to today's race towards a cure. Alzheimer's is the great global epidemic of our time, affecting millions worldwide -- there are more than 5 million people diagnosed in the US alone. And as our population ages, scientists are working against the clock to find a cure. Neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli is among them. His beloved grandfather had Alzheimer's and now he's written the book he needed then -- a very human history of this frightening disease. But In Pursuit of Memory is also a thrilling scientific detective story that takes you behind the headlines. Jebelli's quest takes us from nineteenth-century Germany and post-war England, to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and the technological proving grounds of Japan; through America, India, China, Iceland, Sweden, and Colombia. Its heroes are scientists from around the world -- many of whom he's worked with -- and the brave patients and families who have changed the way that researchers think about the disease. This compelling insider's account shows vividly why Jebelli feels so hopeful about a cure, but also why our best defense in the meantime is to understand the disease. In Pursuit of Memory is a clever, moving, eye-opening guide to the threat one in three of us faces now.