Within a few years, the study may show whether the drugs can prevent the disease from developing in the first place. <\/b><\/p>\n
If the answer is yes, \u201cthat would be revolutionary,\u201d said Dr. Daniel Z. Press, chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who is not involved with that research. \u201cWe would then be for the first time trying to prevent Alzheimer\u2019s disease rather than treating it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s only one piece of the sprawling puzzle of Alzheimer\u2019s research. Also under study are dozens of other drugs that work on different aspects of the biology of the disease. At the same time, there\u2019s growing evidence people can lower their risk of dementia with a healthy lifestyle. And a new emphasis on learning how to live with dementia is shifting the grim paradigm that for so long has defined the illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m feeling quite optimistic,\u201d said Susan Antkowiak, vice president of programs and services at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n
Such optimism marks a shift in the fraught and often disappointing history of Alzheimer\u2019s research, which critics say had focused too narrowly on the role of amyloid and has been tainted by allegations of fraud<\/a>. The drug Aduhelm, which could slightly slow the progress of Alzheimer\u2019s but had major risks, was pulled off the market<\/a> in 2024 after skeptical doctors shunned it and insurers and Medicare restricted coverage.<\/p>\n The enthusiasm is also tempered by fears that reductions in federal research funding could stall the most promising work. President Trump has asked Congress to cut the National Institutes of Health budget by 40 percent. But appropriations committees in both the Senate and the House have voted to increase<\/a> funding for Alzheimer\u2019s research. <\/p>\n \u201cAs we\u2019re making this progress, we cannot back up,\u201d Antkowiak said.<\/p>\n The current leading hypothesis is that Alzheimer\u2019s disease is driven by two types of malformed proteins \u2014 amyloid plaques and tau tangles \u2014 which interfere with brain function, gradually diminishing the ability to think and remember.<\/p>\n Tau helps the neurons in healthy brains function. But it becomes a problem when it twists into sticky tangles that accumulate in the brain. How tau and amyloid interact is not fully understood, but tau tangles seem to play a greater role in imminent cognitive decline, said Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Center for Alzheimer\u2019s Research and Treatment at Mass General Brigham and a leader of the AHEAD study that Rick is participating in. When tau tangles start spreading, it \u201calmost always occurs in the setting of pretty high amyloid,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Participants in the AHEAD study receive infusions of Leqembi (lecanemab), one of two drugs that have been approved to treat people who already have symptoms. Leqembi and the other drug, Kisunla (donanemab), remove amyloid and slow the illness, but do not stop it.<\/p>\n A new study<\/a> showed that many symptomatic participants who had low levels of malformed tau when they started taking Leqembi either got better or maintained the same level of function after four years. This has bolstered hopes that providing the medication even earlier in the process, to people at risk but still without symptoms, can prevent tau tangles from spreading.<\/p>\n These drugs have serious downsides, however. They require trips to the hospital, or a visit from a home nurse, to get infusions, although a new injectable version<\/a> that can be self-administered may soon be available. Also, <\/b>up to 14 percent of patients experience inflammation or bleeding in the brain, necessitating regular brain scans to check for this side effect.<\/p>\n A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified a substance that, instead of clearing out amyloid, may short-circuit its formation in the first place, based on laboratory results. Rudolph E. Tanzi, director of Mass. General\u2019s Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health, said this drug, known as GSM, for gamma secretase modulator, would come in the form of a pill and would be less expensive. He hopes to start testing its safety in humans in the fall.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s proven safe and effective, Tanzi envisions GSM someday being offered to people at risk of Alzheimer\u2019s in the same way statins are prescribed for people at risk of heart disease. \u201cWe\u2019re going to nip it in the bud,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n All told, said Antkowiak, of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, more than 140 unique therapies are being tested in clinical trials, targeting amyloid and tau but also inflammation and the health of blood vessels \u2014 all believed to be involved in the development of Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n One study published in August<\/a> stirred excitement when it showed that the metal lithium, used to treat psychiatric illnesses<\/a>, plays a role in brain function and might protect against Alzheimer\u2019s. The study found lithium was depleted in the brains of people in the earliest stages of memory loss during aging, as amyloid began forming. Amyloid bound to the lithium, apparently depriving cells of its protective function. The study also found that feeding tiny amounts of lithium to mice with signs of dementia restored their memory.<\/p>\n But those who are worried about Alzheimer\u2019s don\u2019t need to wait for new drugs to improve their prospects. Ample and growing evidence shows that lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing dementia. In the largest such randomized trial<\/a>, published in July, older people at risk of cognitive decline who followed a program of diet, exercise, and brain training saw, on average, their performance on cognitive tests improve. Another study<\/a> of people with a strong genetic risk for Alzheimer\u2019s found those following a Mediterranean diet full of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil were significantly less likely to develop dementia.<\/p>\n For guidance on where to start on lifestyle changes, the McCance Brain Care Score<\/a> helps pinpoint which aspects are most important to tackle. Tanzi, of the MGH brain center, has developed a regime called SHIELD,<\/a> for Sleep, Handling stress, Interaction with friends, Exercise (150 minutes per week), Learning new things, and Diet (lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds).<\/p>\n
![\"Kerry](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6SSGWLYL42NDFKUFKCOUFZKSDM.jpg\")
Kerry Dennis from Auburn, N.H., was diagnosed her with mild cognitive impairment.John Tlumacki\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n