P. Murali Doraiswamy, head of biological psychiatry at Duke University, wrote The Alzheimer’s Action Plan to illustrate the irrefutable links between healthy living and a healthy brain. Doraiswamy admits there is no perfectly effective method of Alzheimer’s prevention, but his book illustrates a pragmatic approach, encouraging readers to create a personal “brain health action plan” based on recognizing and managing personal risks.
Caregivers who have dealt with loved ones with the disease will insist that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. Studies agree, showing that distinct physical abnormalities, (such as tangles or plaques), appear in the brain. Doraiswamy points out that while a cure still hasn’t been discovered, the disease is treatable. There are currently 4 FDA-approved medications available and myriad more in clinical trials awaiting approval.
Amyloid PET scans, currently in the late stages of testing, are believed to be able to show plaque buildup in people even before they develop symptoms. Genetic therapies are being developed to aid the brain’s ability to repair itself by delivering nerve growth factor through viral vectors, as some genetic mutations can be made possible by introducing a virus with the desired genetic material in vivo or in vitro.
With new developments in technology advancing early diagnosis and allowing people to see their personal risks, Doraiswamy believes people will have even more initiative to apply the proposals given in his book.