Over the past few decades, Alzheimer's disease (AD) has emerged from obscurity. Once considered a rare disorder, it is now seen as a major public health problem that has a severe impact on millions of

INTRODUCTION "Never have I loved my husband of 41 years more than I do today....Though he may not know I'm his wife, he does know that my presence means his favorite foods and drinks are near at ha

To understand AD, it is important to know a bit about the brain. This part of Unraveling the Mystery gives an inside view of the normal brain, how it works, and what happens during aging. The brain

THE HALLMARKS OF AD Alzheimer's disease disrupts critical metabolic processes that keep neurons healthy. These disruptions cause nerve cells in the brain to stop working, lose connections with othe

Scientists have studied AD from many angles. They have looked at populations to see how many cases of AD occur every year and whether there might be links between the disease and lifestyles or genetic

One of the greatest costs of AD can be the physical and emotional toll on family members, caregivers, and friends of people with the disease. The changes in a loved one's personality and mental abilit

CONCLUSION The future builds upon the events and experiences of the past. That's certainly true of AD research. Our knowledge of AD is advancing rapidly, and we have much to celebrate in our scient