This research could help drug developers identify who might potentially benefit from a future Alzheimer’s treatment before symptoms of cognitive decline start to arise.

Both of Andrew Kiselica’s grandfathers developed dementia when he was in graduate school. As Kiselica was going through neuropsychology training in graduate school, he saw his mother’s father become unable to walk or speak due to severe dementia.

Kiselica, an assistant professor in the University of Missouri’s School of Health Professions, says that personal experience has motivated his work to identify and prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. There are no current treatments to reverse the course of Alzheimer’s.

“Most families have had this experience of watching someone who is vibrant and full of life essentially turn into someone they can barely recognize,” says Kiselica. “I don’t want people to have to go through that as their last phase of life. The experience with my grandparents has been the driving force behind my desire to study this disease.”

Defined by cognitive changes that affect one’s ability to complete basic activities in daily life, dementia is most commonly caused by Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder where a buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain leads to memory loss and other cognitive issues.

Read the full article about Alzheimer's research by Brian Consiglio at Futurity.