E UNIVERSAL REGARDLESS OF AGE OF ONSET
"I can see the words hanging in front of me and I can't reach them, and I don't know who I am or what I'm going to lose next," Alice says.
To help with the movie's first-person perspective, Carrillo's group put actress Moore in touch with someone in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's who could describe how disorienting symptoms felt — that frustrating inability to retrieve a word or the fear that comes with suddenly not recognizing a familiar place.
Forgetting a word now and then happens to lots of people. The Alzheimer's Association lists warning signs that may distinguish between normal forgetfulness and something you should discuss with a doctor. On the worry list: memory loss that disrupts daily life, difficulty completing familiar tasks, withdrawing from social activities and personality changes.
PEOPLE MAY COMPENSATE FOR A WHILE
If it seemed like the movie's Alice suddenly declined fast, consider a concept that neuroscientists call "cognitive reserve." People who have had more years of education are thought to have some protection because the extra learning increased connections between their brain's neurons. When Alzheimer's begins blocking those connections, the brain at first can choose an alternate route to retrieve a memory.
"Your brain's kept buffered up," explained Carrillo. But eventually, the brain reaches a tipping point and can't compensate any longer, so "the change seems more dramatic."
WHAT'S IN THE PIPELINE
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, and today's treatments only temporarily ease some symptoms. Scientists aren't even sure what causes the disease, although a sticky brain protein called amyloid is one suspect.
Nor is diagnosis simple. There is no one Alzheimer's test, but a battery of evaluations. Sometimes, doctors use PET scans to measure amyloid buildup, but only in carefully selected cases because plenty of people without Alzheimer's harbor the gunk, too.
The Obama administration has declared a goal of finding effective Alzheimer's treatments by 2025. Research suggests Alzheimer's begins silently ravaging the brain up to 20 years before symptoms begin. One approach under study now is testing to see whether curbing sticky amyloid during that window period might at least postpone symptoms a few more years, if not prevent them.
Information on volunteering for research: http://bit.ly/1dRZCv5
The government's clinical trial database: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov