Drug Shows Early Promise Against Alzheimer's

The feed delivers news from Ars Technica about a new and promising treatment for Alzheimer's. The drug Etanercept works by disabling the functioning of a cytokine called TNFa, and reportedly caused immediate improvement — in minutes — in mental functioning in one Alaheimer's patient. Double-blind studies have not yet begun.

Re:Long-term memory restored?

[Metasquares]

Why are "substantial mental improvements" worthless? Anything that improves the condition of the patients is probably worthwhile.

My Friend

[PinkyDead]

A close friend of mine has MS, and I feel the same problem exists here as with 'cures' for that.

These breakthroughs are great but how many people are there for which this will be just too late?

Therein lies the problem: either the trial is too easy and all sorts of rubbish gets through (and there is little impetus to find a real cure) or the trial is too hard and many many people needlessly suffer.

I hope they find a cure soon, because she's a really nice person and doesn't deserve it.

Re:Long-term memory restored?

[charon69]

I actually find that response curious. No offense to you, and I freely admit that I have no family members with Alzheimer's, but it seems to me that I would rather have a functional family member who doesn't remember me over, as you say, a bed-ridden one who does.

It seems like it would be a question between their happiness and yours. If they're a "normal" person who just happens to not know you, then they can still theoretically still lead fulfilling lives during their final years.

Re:Long-term memory restored?

[moderatorrater]

By the time he reached that part of his life, my grandfather's life was built on his memories, be it his large family who he loved very much, his many accomplishments in life, or the friends he had. When he was diagnosed with Alzheimers, he lost recognition of people in his life, lost all his dignity, and was put into a home. If he regained all his function but didn't remember anything, I'm 100% sure that his life would have felt empty and hollow. Memories give anyone's life meaning, the elderly more than anyone.