Alzheimer's and Other Dementias
Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia, is a gradual erosion of memory, cognitive ability, and personality. Today, an estimated 5 million Americans and one in ten people over the age of 65 have the disease. As our society ages, it could affect as many as 16 million people in the United States by 2050.
There is no cure, but medications can alleviate symptoms. Emory scientists are taking a variety of approaches in attacking this devastating condition. Those approaches range from studying the basic chemistry of aggregated proteins to advanced imaging techniques, which are used to visualize changes in the brain as Alzheimer's disease progresses. With recent advances in imaging, genetics and biochemistry, it is an exciting time for the Alzheimer's field.
Emory researchers are focusing on key molecules that regulate amyloid, the protein that builds up in characteristic plaques in Alzheimer's patients' brains. These could be targets for future medications that could alter the course of the disease. They also are developing techniques for early diagnosis, in order to identify patients when treatment could be more effective.
Neurology chair and Alzheimer's Disease Research Center co-director Allan Levey with patient
Emory resources related to Alzheimer's
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Information about clinical trials, patient education programs, ADRC staff, and more - Registry for Remembrance
A community-academic partnership in Atlanta that seeks to improve understanding of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's among African Americans
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease
Research at Emory on several diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's - Center for Health in Aging
Part of the Department of Medicine's Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology - Yerkes National Primate Research Center
A close partnership with Yerkes enables the examination of diseases of aging in humans' close relatives - Fuqua Center for Late-life Depression
Established by the Department of Psychiatry in 1999 to increase public understanding and facilitate treatment of late-life depression, which can both exacerbate and be mistaken for Alzheimer's - Wesley Woods Health Center
Several clinical services for the elderly are based here