The No. 1 and 2 causes of death remain the same, but there have been a number of notable changes. And now there's a new disease to assess on the global landscape: COVID-19.
They faced bias against women in science. They faced racism because their families come from Africa. And they triumphed in a competition to develop a problem-solving app!
Two new human studies back earlier hints that vaccines designed to prevent respiratory infections might also provide some protection against Alzheimer's disease.
After a decade of failure in treating Alzheimer's with drugs, the National Institutes of Health is funding a five-year effort in Seattle to learn more about how the disease starts in the brain.
Efforts to keep coronavirus out of care facilities has left many Alzheimer's patients isolated from their families. Online contact is often the best option but it's not the same as an in-person visit.
A woman had become barely verbal, an effect of dementia. Her daughter, an opera singer, decided to try singing Christmas songs with her, and they reconnected.
Diabetes can double a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's. Now researchers are beginning to understand the role of brain metabolism in the development of the disease.
Researchers are testing exercise in people at high risk for Alzheimer's. The goal of a federally funded study is to learn whether aerobic physical activity can protect the brain.
Research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Convention found that LGBTQ Americans are three times more likely to experience cognitive decline than their non-LGBTQ counterparts.
Scientists are gaining insights into why Alzheimer's is more common in women. The answer involves genetics, hormones and sex-related brain differences.
Now that so many experimental drugs targeting amyloid-beta have bombed, scientists are looking for different approaches for treating Alzheimer's, including a drug that failed as a cancer treatment.
A brief cognitive test can detect signs of Alzheimer's in older patients. Only half of primary care doctors routinely give one, despite coverage by Medicare as part of annual wellness visits.
A convicted murderer developed dementia while on Death Row. The Supreme Court blocked his execution for now, asking a lower court to determine whether the man understands why he is being put to death.
Whether it's exercise or housework, older Americans who move their bodies regularly may preserve more of their memory and thinking skills, even if they have brain lesions and other signs of dementia.
They had always been partners, in a way — artists who connected through their work. So, when Gene DiRado began withdrawing from the world, his son rushed toward him — and brought along a camera.
It's estimated that nearly half of all Americans over 65 own a gun or live with someone who does. And 7 million in the U.S. have dementia, a number that's expected to double within two decades.
In the U.S., Alzheimer's clinical trials are largely limited to fluent English speakers, which leaves millions of patients without the opportunity to participate and scientists without diverse data.
O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, says she has been diagnosed with "the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer's disease."
People who suffer from prolonged delirium in the hospital are likely to develop long-term mental problems like dementia. Doctors have come up with techniques they say can reduce delirium in the ICU.
Up to half of all patients who survive emergency medical treatment in the intensive care unit have mental problems when they return home. Doctors studying the problem say it starts with delirium.
A new approach to helping Alzheimer's and dementia patients starts with training caregivers, teaching them to respond to their loved ones' needs with insight and creativity.
Money has poured into Alzheimer's research, but until very recently not much of it went toward investigating infection in causing dementia. A million dollar prize may lead more scientists to try.
Researchers found that a simple letter to doctors, focusing on their high prescribing rates, reduced their tendency to give risky antipsychotic drugs to their patients, including some with dementia.
Scientists are taking a second look at the idea that hormone replacement therapy could reduce a woman's risk of dementia. New research suggests the key may be in giving it at the right time.
Only about half the people with Alzheimer's symptoms get a diagnosis, partly out of fear of an incurable decline, doctors suspect. But Jose Bolardo says facing the future allows him to plan for it.
