Memory: “A Bit of a Dunce”

“I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers “Consultin' with the rain…. “And my head I'd be scratchin' while “my thoughts were busy hatchin' “If I only had a brain….” —Yip Harbung, lyrics, ‘If I only had a brain,’ Wizard of Oz, 1939 While we all have a brain, one not made of straw, memory itself can be deceptive. “While memory is king, it is also a bit of a dunce,” says close friend Lisa Genova, Harvard-educated neuroscientist, author of yet another New York Times Bestseller, “ Remember: The Science of Remembering and The Art of Forgetting", published

COVID-19 Vs. Alzheimer’s: A Rocky Prizefight!

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, life in some ways is still a cross between “ Groundhog Day” and “ The Shining,”and a fleck of “ Alice in Wonderland” where “nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t.” While some relief has arrived in the form of COVID-19 vaccinations, seeking the so-called “herd immunity,” finding a balance between conservative and liberal narratives, continues to be a moving target. Given growing concerns about COVID-19 variants worldwide, many are now saying we need a Marshall Plan for global vaccinations. I’ve never been a fear monger, but my

What COVID-19 Taught Us About Race, Health and Wealth

This piece was originally published in NextAvenue. The last time I saw my family in person was last February at a conference in South Texas. It was the first time my 10-year-old nephew and six-year-old niece saw me on stage in front of hundreds of people talking about racial inequities in Alzheimer's research, my area of expertise. I don't know how much of the discussion they understood, but I know they saw their uncle, a first-generation college graduate, alongside experts from across the country holding his own. Afterwards, we munched on enchiladas and talked about the hamsters my husband and

A Case for FDA Approval: Biogen’s Aducanumab - First-Ever Drug to Slow Progression of Alzheimer’s

Time kills deals, as the saying goes. And the biggest deal on the Alzheimer’s front—in terms of improving cognition in the early stages of the disease—is Biogen’s new drug aducanumab, currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval. If approved, aducanumab would be the first-ever drug to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and first-ever drug to treat mild cognitive impairment. Early-stage Alzheimer’s has not been afforded a new approved therapy in more than 17 years. No other major disease of Alzheimer’s scale and mortality has gone that long without incremental therapeutic relief. George Vradenburg, the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

The Biden Administration Can Reinvigorate the National Fight Against Alzheimer’s

The Biden-Harris administration should renew and recommit to the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. This goal was set 10 years ago this month. It has spurred critical investments in research and interagency collaboration which have changed the trajectory of Alzheimer’s science and brought the movement to a new precipice of hope and opportunity. At the current pace, however, this effort will fall far short of the finish line in 2025. What is required is renewed energy, sharper focus, and greater urgency – starting within the White House. But first, a bit of history: The