I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves. The branches, and the wind, and the rain. I don't know what's happening anymore.
- Anthony (The Father)
Today I will share some information about Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia/AD).
Because many of our American users use our products to prevent senile dementia, and sometimes the promotion angle is also brain training to prevent Alzheimer's disease, which is a very strong user demand in the United States.
Just a few days ago, I attended Professor Lubai's course on this topic, so I organized my notes.
Alzheimer's disease is also known as senile dementia. The overall prevalence rate of Alzheimer's disease in the United States is 1.6% for the population aged 65-74, but it rises to 19% for those aged 75-84, and reaches 42% for those over 85 (estimated in the United States in 2000).
Today, approximately 47 million people suffer from AD. It is predicted that by 2050, 13% of people over the age of 65 will have AD.
Among developed countries, Alzheimer's disease is the condition that consumes the most social resources. Globally, AD costs nearly $1 trillion annually, accounting for 1.2% of global GDP; without new drugs, the cost of AD in the U.S. alone could reach 10% of its annual GDP. Currently available clinical drugs such as Donepezil and Memantine can only alleviate symptoms and become ineffective after a few years.
In patients with senile dementia, amyloid plaques (Aβ plaques) and neurofibrillary tangles are found in their brains. Moreover, as neurons die, brain atrophy occurs, leaving only half of the original size. At the same time, an increase in glial cells and loss of synapses are observed in the patient’s brain. (Yes, I don't know what these terms all mean either.)
The stages of senile dementia:
Mild dementia stage
2-4 years
Mild cognitive changes
Loss of recent memory
Depression
Moderate dementia stage
2-10 years
Irritability, emotional agitation
Hippocampal atrophy
Severe damage to both short-term and long-term memory
Severe dementia stage
1-3+ years
Very limited intellectual capacity
Severe memory loss, retaining only fragments
Unable to take care of oneself
How to prevent senile dementia? The professor mentioned several methods:
Aerobic exercise delays senile dementia
Restricting diet, occasionally fasting
Increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF (this is the direction of research by the professor and his team)
Get good sleep, because poor sleep accelerates senile dementia.
Of course, possibly playing more of our games might help too (though I'm not sure if this is medically proven yet)～
A classmate named Hitters recommended a movie called "The Father," which presents the most authentic experience of elderly people suffering from senile dementia from the first-person perspective. The lead actor, Anthony Hopkins (the same actor who starred in Westworld), won the Oscar for Best Actor for this role. I haven't watched it yet, but I'll find some time next week to see it.