Urvi Bhuwania 14: A Possible Cure for Dementia
A Possible Cure For Dementia
I am currently rewatching Grey's Anatomy and I got to the episode where Meredith Grey's mom, a world renowned surgeon diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, is admitted to Seattle Grace Hospital and tries to take over as a surgeon. Last week, I looked into how the inability of memories to fade away can prove detrimental to one's sanity, but watching this show made me realize that there are sometimes even worse consequences for an individual and their loved ones when their memories do involuntarily fade away. While the general disposition and general knowledge is typically retained in individuals diagnosed with dementia, they lose a crucial part of themselves in that they are not able to formulate those strong bonds of the past, and are not able to remember those memories that make an individual unique.
Probably one of the most disheartening aspects of mental illnesses like these though are that there is no true cure. An individual who has a loved one diagnosed with dementia can do nothing more than provide emotional support. However, I came across an article that expounded on a recent study that was able to cure memory loss in mice through non invasive intranasal therapy (Berman). I found the medical aspect of this especially intriguing as such a harmless procedure such as intranasal therapy proving to have visible beneficial effects on a chronic mental disease could open a lot of doors in the medical field, and just generally seems like a solution that's too good to be true.
Although the study simply proved the efficacy of the medicine in mice and has not yet been adapted or tested in humans, scientists were able to come to a paramount epiphany in this research. Neuroinflammation has long been known as a symptom of AD, but since the accumulation of immune cells at weak points is one of the body's own self defense mechanisms, scientists understandably believed that giving antiflammatory pharmaceuticals would only do more harm than good (Berman). Their studies with mice, however, have scientists now approaching dementia and Alzheimer's in humans from a different perspective, and hopefully this new research will come to fruition in the form of an effective cure for memory loss.
Memories constitute a cardinal aspect of an individual's identity and we should be grateful for the capacity to revisit them at will, even the less than satisfying ones, as there are many individuals who have lost that faculty with little to no hope of ever regaining it.
Sources:
Berman, Bobby. “Alzheimer's: Scientists Stop Memory Loss in Mice Using Nose Drops.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/scientists-halt-memory-decay-in-mice-with-painless-nasal-therapy.
I think knowing someone who you love with Alzheimer's is saddening, but also being someone who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, especially with early-onset Alzheimer's, is even more saddening. I cannot imagine how I would feel as someone with Alzheimer's who has to see their own family suffer from neurodegeneration and protein build-up in their brains they cannot control. I really hope we can eventually find a cure for Alzheimer's disease because it is just so heartbreaking and hope-shattering for everyone.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi, I am not sure what "non invasive intranasal therapy" is, but it sounds frightening. I truly hope that we can find a cure for memory loss and dementia as it is tragic to witness people who must have been so lively before slowly forget about their life. I remember watching Spider-Man No Way Home and how Spiderman wished for people to forget he was Peter Parker. When Doctor Strange cast the spell, it was heart-breaking to see all his friends forget his existence. Maybe that is what the soul feels like when the mind forgets its loved one. Sorry for the spoiler if you did not watch the movie.
ReplyDeleteHello Urvi,
ReplyDeleteYour blog has reminded me to be grateful for my memories and the privilege to “revisit” them at any point in my life. I do not know who I would be without my memories. I do not know what I would do if someone I loved forgot who I was. Watching Meredith see her mother disappear before her eyes broke my heart. Hopefully a cure for dementia will be developed in the near future and people will be able to preserve their memories and prolong their time shared with family.
Hi Urvi! Your blogs are always so informational! I have no idea what non invasive intranasal therapy is though (but I do know my dad takes intranasal allergy medications). I have seen so many movies with people that suffer from Alzheimer's disease and it is truly saddening. Though there is no cure that has been yet tested and guaranteed to be effective on humans, I believe prevention methods are just as important as finding a cure.
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ReplyDeleteHey Urvi! Watching people with Alzheimer's live their life is truly heartbreaking with all the pain they go through and the side effects that come along with it which makes losing them even harder. Honestly, I hope one day they find a cure for because its taking the lives of so many. This blog post just gave me a reminder to spend more time with family and friends because we never know who will see tomorrow and who won't. It's certainly important for all of us to take advantage of the time we have with them, to love and treasure the relationships we were given. It's heartbreaking to see someone have to lose a loved one due to Alzheimers that I truly hope that soon, this world finds a cure.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi! Your post is so informational, but you mention so many terms that honestly freak me out. It saddens me so much that there is not much of a cure for mental illnesses and diseases. I hope the research that scientists are currently doing results in promising cures, because the widespread amount of memory-affecting illnesses is so risky, scary, and saddening. Personally, my grandmother has memory problems and it has gotten to a point where recognizing her three daughters is hit-or -miss. And it is not unusual for her to not recognize the voice of any of her grandchildren (or at least of the ones that live in America, like me). It pains me so much that there is not a cure, and I hope that in the near future, we do find one.
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ReplyDeleteHi Urvi! This made me come to appreciate my memories and my ability to recall them even more. I've also seen videos of dementia patients recalling memories triggered by music and dance, which is also incredible. Seeing loved ones battle this disease is truly heartbreaking and I hope medicine can advance to develop a cure sometime in the near future.
Hi Urvi, you bring up lots of interesting information about Alzheimer’s. It’s really sad when a person with Alzheimer’s loses past memories and bonds. All of that history, shared experiences with friends and families, and day to day events of a person’s whole life are what makes people so unique. To have to lose all of that is unimaginable and quite a loss for the person going through Alzheimer’s and their family members. It’s truly one of the saddest aspects of this progressive and degenerative disease. Hopefully, a cure can be found someday as scientists do their best to learn more about this disease, which is why I found your discussion of intranasal therapy especially intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHi Urvi, your blog demonstrates the importance of researching diseases that impact people at older ages. If we are trying to reduce mortality and make humans live longer, (isn't that the goal in medicine?) then diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and more should be looked into more. With the elimination or mitigation of those neurological diseases, many people would be able to live much longer with a good quality of life.
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