7 — A Better Understanding of Alzheimer's Disease

Dr. Ryan Fortna, MD, PhD, is a board-certified pathologist with research experience in the biology of Alzheimer's disease. He joined me to talk about: * What causes Alzheimer’s disease in the brain * The difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia* New blood-based tests for Alzheimer’s disease * Factors that affect one’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease: * Non-modifiable risk factors: age, gender at birth, genetics* Modifiable risk factors: the growing number of lifestyle factors that affect risk* Reversible factors for cognitive changes to evaluate with your doctor* What the new “disease-modifying” medications offer for patients with Alzheimer’s disease* What Dr. Fortna foresees in the next two decades in the area of cognitive health and Alzheimer’s diseaseResources we mentioned: * The Lancet 2024 publication, which supports that up to 45% of dementia cases are preventable* World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on decreasing the risk of cognitive declineFor more information, I encourage you to check out the 4-part series I published on cognitive health: Part 1: Understanding Cognitive Health & Cognitive DeclinePart 2: Understanding Non-Modifiable Risk of Cognitive DeclinePart 3: Understanding Modifiable Risk of Cognitive DeclinePart 4: Fueling your MINDThanks for being here, ~AllisonRemember that this information is meant to educate and inspire, but is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team to determine what is most appropriate for you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insightintohealth.substack.com