Paul Maruff, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
News reports this week hailing a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research, saying a vaccine for the disease is a few years away, have raised hopes for many. But let’s take a step back from the headlines.
Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia. As the population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise, as is the number of deaths from dementia.
How often has your own mother forgotten your name? Does she ever cycle through the names of each of your siblings – and perhaps even the family pet – before getting to yours?
The Alzheimer’s Society is concerned that people with dementia aren’t getting diagnosed soon enough. But there are pros and cons to an early diagnosis.
Parkinson’s disease is the second-most-prevalent neurodegenerative condition in Australia, with an estimated 70,000 living with the disease. But what do we know about the causes and risk factors?
Once the stuff of tweeting birds and rolling cartoon eyes, bumps on the head are now linked to dementia. Will Smith’s latest movie tells how sports authorities tried to cover it up.
For the first time, researchers have shown that feeding vervet monkeys a toxin produced by blue-green algae resulted in protein deposits in the brain, consistent with those seen in human Alzheimer’s.
The headlines The Telegraph: Alzheimer’s disease: Online brain training “improves daily lives of over-60s” Daily Mail: The quiz that makes over-60s better cooks: Computer brain games ‘stave off mental…