Alzheimer's Alzheimer's
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Alzheimer's

Susan Bell plays with a fidget toy at her home as part of her physical therapy on September 16, 2024 in St. Charles, Mo. The toys help provide Susan with cognitive stimulation. Michael B. Thomas for NPR / @miketphotog hide caption

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Michael B. Thomas for NPR / @miketphotog

Ken and Susan Bell, September, 2024 in St. Charles, Mo. Michael B. Thomas/NPR/@miketphotog hide caption

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Michael B. Thomas/NPR/@miketphotog

One woman's experience with the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi

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About 40% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors, according to a Lancet commission report. MirageC/Getty Images hide caption

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MirageC/Getty Images

New blood tests that help detect Alzheimer's disease are opening up a new era in diagnosis and treatment, doctors say. Marcus Brandt/picture alliance/Getty Images hide caption

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Marcus Brandt/picture alliance/Getty Images

Alzheimer's blood tests

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Family members often provide caregiving for people with dementia and it can take a financial and emotional toll. Ocskaymark/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption

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Ocskaymark/iStockphoto/Getty Images

tradeoffs medicare caregivers

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This image provided by Eli Lilly shows the company's new Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla. The Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s Kisunla on Tuesday for mild or early cases of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s. Eli Lilly and Company/AP hide caption

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Eli Lilly and Company/AP

New insights into the brain's waste-removal system could one day help researchers better understand and prevent many brain disorders. Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images hide caption

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Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

The brain has a waste removal system and scientists are figuring out how it works

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Both President Biden and former President Donald Trump have made public gaffes on the campaign trail. Experts say such slips, on their own, are not cause for concern. Morry Gash/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Morry Gash/Pool/Getty Images

Recent gaffes by Biden and Trump may be signs of normal aging — or may be nothing

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Newer blood tests can help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease without a brain scan or spinal tap. But some tests are more accurate than others. Tek Image/Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption

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Tek Image/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer's — if they're accurate enough. Not all are

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Scientists have built an enormous atlas of the human brain that could help them chart a path toward preventing and treating many different neurological disorders. imaginima/Getty images hide caption

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Joyce Mutisya, 71, outside her home in Wote, Kenya. For years she's struggled with symptoms of dementia. But she didn't realize it was a condition for which she could seek professional help. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

What if you had dementia — and didn't know it?

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Scientists have built an enormous atlas of the human brain that could help them chart a path toward preventing and treating many different neurological disorders. Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images hide caption

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Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

Scientists built the largest-ever map of the human brain. Here's what they found

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A precisely timed pulse to a brain area just behind the ear can help reduce memory deficits in patients suffering moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop hide caption

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Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop

When a brain injury impairs memory, a pulse of electricity may help

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John Shambroom and Loose Ends volunteer Jan Rohwetter examine the rug Shambroom's wife, Donna Savastio, couldn't finish due to symptoms of Alzheimer's. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

A large study of an experimental Alzheimer's drug made by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. appears to slow worsening of the degenerative brain disease. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

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Darron Cummings/AP

An experimental Alzheimer's drug outperforms one just approved by the FDA

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The Food and Drug Administration has fully approved Leqembi, the first drug shown to slow down Alzheimer's disease. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP

Alzheimer's drug Leqembi gets full FDA approval. Medicare coverage will likely follow

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In Huntington's disease, proteins form toxic clumps that kill brain cells. Stowers Institute for Medical Research hide caption

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Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Huntington's spreads like 'fire in the brain.' Scientists say they've found the spark

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A new study finds that stimulating the brain during sleep can improve memory. DrAfter123/Getty Images hide caption

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Scientists zap sleeping humans' brains with electricity to improve their memory

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Jonnie Lewis-Thorpe, now 83, (right) lives with her daughter Angela Reynolds. She has Alzheimer's and lost her home due to symptoms of the disease. Katie Blackley/WESA hide caption

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Katie Blackley/WESA