This brain scan shows the plaques created by amyloid beta which is thought to be key in the onset of Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease, which affects 4-5 million Americans, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of their memory. As it progressively destroys brain cells, Alzheimer's leads to severe declines in functionality and reasoning. Patients in the later stages often lose the ability to speak or move, leaving them totally dependent on caregivers.

Alan meets Lola Crosswhite, who is in the early stages of the disease. Lola is working with Mark Tuszynski of the University of California, San Diego as part of a dramatic experiment designed to help restore the function of her brain. Tuszynski inserts genetically engineered cells, taken from Lola's skin, into her brain. The modified cells create a growth factor vital to keeping brain cells healthy and functioning

Lola Crosswhite suffers from Alzheiner's disease but may benefit from new research being done by Mark Tuszynski.

In a separate study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles are using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology to scan the brains of subjects to see how well brain cells are firing. This information can provide clues to the early onset of Alzheimer's, even before symptoms appear. Meanwhile, many researchers are focusing on a molecule called amyloid beta, thought to be key to the onset of Alzheimer's. According to Dennis Selkoe of Harvard University, amyloid beta detected in single units around the brain is OK. Trouble starts when the molecules cluster in doubles, triples and quadruples. Selkoe hopes to treat or even prevent Alzheimer's either by keeping amyloid beta from building up in the first place, or destroying existing molecules before they reach dangerous levels.

Research at Washington University using an antibody that removes amyloid beta has proven successful in preventing Alzheimer's in mice. Soon, Selkoe and his colleague Howard Weiner plan to conduct human trials of amyloid beta vaccine nose drops. Though a previous trial involving injected amyloid beta vaccines was stopped after one patient died from a brain inflammation, Selkoe and Weiner hope that administering the vaccine nasally will be less dangerous and more effective.

UCLA's Gary Small offers Alan some tips on how we can all decrease our risk of getting Alzheimer's: eat well, reduce stress levels and get plenty of physical exercise. But Small also prescribes daily brain exercises such as memorizing a list of unrelated items or a series of face-name pairs.

For more on this topic, see the web feature:
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