What Does Discover Magazine Have to Offer About Alzheimer's?

Discover magazine produced an article in January 2013 in which they stated 4 steps they thought would fight off Alzheimer’s. Linda Marsa, the author of the article claims that technological and educational advancements in 2012 are the reason for these four new “steps against Alzheimer’s.” Marsa explains that:, “early detection, better modeling,” clever tracking, a preemptive strike.”

(Image from MedicineNet)

EARLY DETECTION:

As stated in previous research, early detection is a good way to help prevent severe cases of Alzheimer’s disease. Marsa talk about a radioactive dye that is used on brain’s to help identify any abnormalities in the brain—which can be sign of Alzheimer’s (Marsa 2013). While her claims seem accurate, it is hard to say that all people wil actually take these precautions and get brain scans. This seems like it would be extremely beneficial, but a lot of the time people who develop Alzheimer’s disease do not know it was coming and therefore they wouldn’t necessarily think to take early precautions.

BETTER MODELING:

Marsa claims that new technology has allowed us to test drugs on living cells in the brain. In this case, Marsa talks about Alzheimer’s infected cells and that being able to test drugs on them directly will help us track the development of the disease and potentially provide insight for a cure.

CLEVER TRAKING:

Again, the education and technology of this century provides a great deal of advancement to the Alzheimer’s field. Marsa mentions a study at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University that tracking the behavior of the protein tau.  Tau is a key component of Alzheimer’s disease (Marsa 2013). Observing the protein’s behavior has become a new way to look at Alzheimzer’s prevention.

A PREEMPTIVE STRIKE:

Marsa discusses studies that are about to be conducted in the upcoming year. She claims that researches hope to learn more about the progression of Alzheimer’s thus making steps toward finding a cure.

References:
Marsa, Linda. "January 2013." Discover Magazine. Four Steps Against Alzheimer's Disease. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.