The Alzheimer's puzzle
People
Science
Impact
Impact
People
Science
Approximately 1 in 10 people age 65
and older has Alzheimer's disease
4
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=An%20estimated%206.5%20million%20Americans,Americans%20with%20Alzheimer%27s%20are%20women.
4
I think if we've learned anything over the last 20 years, it is that we all need to be working together. And I think in Alzheimer's one of the things that has really changed in the last 15, 20 years is the level at which governments, companies, private industry and academia are actually working together.
John Beaver, Head of Biomarkers at Biogen
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently 55 million people living with AD and other dementia. In 2019, caregivers spent on average five hours a day providing support for daily living to the person they were caring for with dementia; 70% of that care is provided by women.
References: Yang HD, Kim DH, Lee SB, Young LD. History of Alzheimer's Disease. Dement Neurocogn Disord. 2016;15(4):115-121. doi:10.12779/dnd.2016.15.4.115
“Alzheimer's Disease Milestones.” Alzheimer's Association
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently 55 million people living with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. ³ In 2019, caregivers spent on average five hours a day providing support for daily living to the person they were caring for with dementia; 70% of that care is provided by women.
4
Impact
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
3
Watch Now
Watch Now
How we define benefit in Alzheimer’s has meaning on many levels – from the individual patient and doctors, to the research community, finding treatments for Alzheimer’s is a long and intensive process that is done with the aim of reducing the pain caused by this disease.
Chris Leibman, Head of Global Value & Access at Biogen, talks about the importance of making an impact at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Hispanics
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Blacks
Hover to learn more.
These populations have reported discrimination when seeking health care
Race, Ethnicity and Alzheimer’s
5
33%
34%
42%
50%
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34854531/
5
Fewer than half of Black (48%) and Native Americans (47%) feel confident they have access to providers who understand their ethnic or racial background and experiences, and only about 3 in 5 Asian Americans (63%) and Hispanics (59%) likewise feel confident.
Among non-White caregivers, half or more say they have faced discrimination when navigating health care settings for their care recipient, with the top concern being that providers or staff do not listen to what they are saying because of their race, color or ethnicity.
Genetic factors do not appear to account for the greater prevalence of — or the greater risk for developing — Alzheimer’s. High blood pressure and diabetes — suspected risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias — are more prevalent in the African American community, and diabetes is more prevalent in the Hispanic community. These conditions, among others, may contribute to the greater prevalence of Alzheimer’s among these groups.
In 2021, the Alzheimer’s Association published a special report on racial and ethnic attitudes and experiences regarding Alzheimer’s and dementia care in the United States. The report noted that health and socioeconomic disparities and systemic racism contribute to increased Alzheimer’s and dementia risk in communities of color.
• Lose awareness of recent experiences as well as of their surroundings.
• Experience changes in physical abilities, including walking, sitting and, eventually, swallowing.
• Have difficulty communicating.
Common Difficulties
During this stage, people need help with activities of daily living and are likely to require around-the-clock care.
• Being forgetful of events or personal history.
• Feeling moody or withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations.
• Being unable to recall information about themselves like their address or telephone number, and the high school or college they attended.
• Experiencing increased trouble with planning or organizing.
• Requiring help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion.
• Having trouble controlling their bladder and bowels.
• Experiencing changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping during the day and becoming restless at night.
• Showing an increased tendency to wander and become lost.
• Demonstrating personality and behavioral changes, including suspiciousness and delusions or compulsive, repetitive behavior like hand-wringing or tissue shredding.
Symptoms may include:
Often the longest stage, people have difficulties communicating and performing routine tasks.
They may still be able to drive, work and participate in favorite activities.
• Coming up with the right word or name.
• Remembering names when introduced to new people.
• Having difficulty performing tasks in social or work settings.
• Forgetting material that was just read.
• Losing or misplacing a valuable object.
• Experiencing increased trouble with planning or organizing. ²
Common Difficulties
Most people are able to function independently in many areas but are likely to need help with some activities to maximize independence and remain safe.
Cognitive problems may be noticeable to family members and friends, but not to others. They do not interfere with a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities.
Measurable brain changes indicating the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, but the brain compensates for them, enabling individuals to continue to function normally.
Severe
Moderate
Mild
MCI* due to
Alzheimer's disease
Preclinical
Alzheimer's disease
I remember sitting in the neurologist's office, getting the diagnosis after the clinical tests, and the brain scans and all of that. And I was stunned, but yet not surprised. And I was sitting next to my wife, and I held her hand, tears streaming down my eyes. And I looked at her, and I said, “What about the kids?
Greg on his Alzheimer’s diagnosis
People
Kamaria
When Kamaria's mother, Mary, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, it didn't just change Mary's life. It changed the lives of her whole family, as they had to come together and find ways to care for Mary.
Caregivers
Alzheimer’s disease has changed Greg’s personality, forcing him to rely on strategies to cope with social situations and leaving him feeling isolated and afraid.
Patients
“We say it takes a village to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and the first citizens of the village are the doctors who have the expertise to diagnose the disease and will be treating the patients,” says Ivana Rubino, Head of Medical, Alzheimer’s Business Unit at Biogen
What We Hear from Physicians
The Role of Physicians
Ivana Rubino
Watch Now
“We say it takes a village to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and the first citizens of the village are the doctors who have the expertise to diagnose the disease and will be treating the patients,” says Ivana Rubino, Head of Medical, Alzheimer’s Business Unit at Biogen
What We Hear from Physicians
Ivana Rubino
Watch Kamaria's Story
Watch Greg's Story
² https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
¹ https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
1621-1675
1621-1675
Neurology as a medical and treatment area is first defined.
1797
1797
Dementia first accepted as a medical term.
1906
1906
Dr. Alois Alzheimer is the first doctor to describe what would become known as Alzheimer’s disease
1968
1968
Researchers develop the first scale that measures the cognitive and functional decline in older adults
1984
1984
Beta-amyloid
The primary amino acid sequence of beta-amyloid is first discovered by scientists. Since then, accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain have been linked to memory loss and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
1986
1986
Tau proteins aggregate to neurofibrillary tangles
Tau is identified by scientists as being related to Alzheimer’s disease. Tau is now known as a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
1993
1993
First approved treatment for Alzheimer's disease dementia.
2021
2021
First treatment approved that impacts the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease.
1922
1926
1932
1936
1922
In 1922,
Pepper argues and wins Federal Baseball Club v. National League, the Supreme Court case granting Major League Baseball its exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1926
In 1926,
Pepper argues and wins Myers v. United States, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the president has the exclusive power to remove executive branch officials, and does not need the approval of the Senate or any other legislative body.
1932
In 1932,
Pepper argued and won United States v. Smith, in which the Supreme Court gave President Hoover a victory in a bitter battle with the U.S. Senate over appointees to the Federal Power Commission.
1936
In 1936,
In United States v. Butler, Pepper persuaded the Supreme Court that a major portion of the Roosevelt Administration’s “New Deal” economic recovery program was unconstitutional.
References
Yang HD, Kim DH, Lee SB, Young LD. History of Alzheimer's Disease. Dement Neurocogn Disord. 2016;15(4):115-121. doi:10.12779/dnd.2016.15.4.115
“Alzheimer's Disease Milestones.” Alzheimer's Association, https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/milestones
There are currently over 500 ongoing clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease.
Explore Trials
On November 3, 1906, clinical psychiatrist and neuroanatomist Alois Alzheimer reported, “a peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex” to the 37th Meeting of South-West German Psychiatrists in Tübingen. He described a 50-year-old woman whom he had followed from her admission for paranoia, progressive sleep and memory disturbance, aggression and confusion until her death five years later. Her name was Auguste Deter. His report noted distinctive plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain histology.
Science
Listen Now
Looking Inside the Brain
Watch Now
On tracking Alzheimer’s disease in the brain
Head of Biomarkers at Biogen
John Beaver
On Clinical Trials
Head of Neurodegeneration Development Unit at Biogen
On the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease research
Watch Now
Samantha Budd Haeberlein
Working to solve the Alzheimer’s disease problem means following the science and learning from those who came before us, listening to those living with the disease and understanding the impact of Alzheimer’s on society.
These interconnected parts come together, giving us the full picture of the puzzle so that we can work toward a solution.
The Alzheimer's puzzle
Stories >
Biogen >
Copy Link
The Alzheimer's Puzzle | Biogen Stories
insert link
The Alzheimer's Puzzle
People
Science
Impact
People
Science
Impact
I think if we've learned anything over the last 20 years, it is that we all need to be working together. And I think in Alzheimer's one of the things that has really changed in the last 15, 20 years is the level at which governments, companies, private industry and academia are actually working together.
John Beaver, Head of Biomarkers at Biogen
Approximately 1 in 10 people age 65
and older has Alzheimer's disease
4
I think if we've learned anything over the last 20 years, it is that we all need to be working together. And I think in Alzheimer's one of the things that has really changed in the last 15, 20 years is the level at which governments, companies, private industry and academia are actually working together.
John Beaver, Head of Biomarkers at Biogen
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently 55 million people living with AD and other dementia. In 2019, caregivers spent on average five hours a day providing support for daily living to the person they were caring for with dementia; 70% of that care is provided by women.
References: Yang HD, Kim DH, Lee SB, Young LD. History of Alzheimer's Disease. Dement Neurocogn Disord. 2016;15(4):115-121. doi:10.12779/dnd.2016.15.4.115
“Alzheimer's Disease Milestones.” Alzheimer's Association
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently 55 million people living with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. In 2019, caregivers spent on average five hours a day providing support for daily living to the person they were caring for with dementia; 70% of that care is provided by women.
3
Impact
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=An%20estimated%206.5%20million%20Americans,
Americans%20with%20Alzheimer%27s%20are%20women.
4
Watch Now
Watch Now
How we define benefit in Alzheimer’s has meaning on many levels – from the individual patient and doctors, to the research community, finding treatments for Alzheimer’s is a long and intensive process that is done with the aim of reducing the pain caused by this disease.
Chris Leibman, Head of Global Value & Access at Biogen, talks about the importance of making an impact at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Hispanics
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Blacks
Hover to learn more.
These populations have reported discrimination when seeking health care
Race, Ethnicity and Alzheimer’s
5
33%
34%
42%
50%
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
34854531/
5
Fewer than half of Black (48%) and Native Americans (47%) feel confident they have access to providers who understand their ethnic or racial background and experiences, and only about 3 in 5 Asian Americans (63%) and Hispanics (59%) likewise feel confident.
Among non-White caregivers, half or more say they have faced discrimination when navigating health care settings for their care recipient, with the top concern being that providers or staff do not listen to what they are saying because of their race, color or ethnicity.
Genetic factors do not appear to account for the greater prevalence of — or the greater risk for developing — Alzheimer’s. High blood pressure and diabetes — suspected risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias — are more prevalent in the African American community, and diabetes is more prevalent in the Hispanic community. These conditions, among others, may contribute to the greater prevalence of Alzheimer’s among these groups.
In 2021, the Alzheimer’s Association published a special report on racial and ethnic attitudes and experiences regarding Alzheimer’s and dementia care in the United States. The report noted that health and socioeconomic disparities and systemic racism contribute to increased Alzheimer’s and dementia risk in communities of color.
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2021-world-failing-to-address-dementia-challenge
3
• Lose awareness of recent experiences as well as of their surroundings.
• Experience changes in physical abilities, including walking, sitting and, eventually, swallowing
• Have difficulty communicating.
Common Difficulties
During this stage, people need help with activities of daily living and are likely to require around-the-clock care.
• Being forgetful of events or personal history.
• Feeling moody or withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations.
• Being unable to recall information about themselves like their address or telephone number, and the high school or college they attended.
• Experiencing increased trouble with planning or organizing.
• Requiring help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion.
• Having trouble controlling their bladder and bowels.
• Experiencing changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping during the day and becoming restless at night.
• Showing an increased tendency to wander and become lost.
• Demonstrating personality and behavioral changes, including suspiciousness and delusions or compulsive, repetitive behavior like hand-wringing or tissue shredding.
Symptoms may include:
Often the longest stage, people have difficulties communicating and performing routine tasks.
They may still be able to drive, work and participate in favorite activities.
• Coming up with the right word or name.
• Remembering names when introduced to new people.
• Having difficulty performing tasks in social or work settings.
• Forgetting material that was just read.
• Losing or misplacing a valuable object.
• Experiencing increased trouble with planning or organizing. ²
Common Difficulties
Most people are able to function independently in many areas but are likely to need help with some activities to maximize independence and remain safe.
Cognitive problems may be noticeable to family members and friends, but not to others. They do not interfere with a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities.
Measurable brain changes indicating the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, but the brain compensates for them, enabling individuals to continue to function normally.
Severe
Moderate
Mild
MCI* due to AD
Preclinical AD
² https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
¹ https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
People
I remember sitting in the neurologist's office, getting the diagnosis after the clinical tests, and the brain scans and all of that. And I was stunned, but yet not surprised. And I was sitting next to my wife, and I held her hand, tears streaming down my eyes. And I looked at her, and I said, “What about the kids?
Greg on his Alzheimer’s diagnosis
When Kamaria's mother, Mary, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, it didn't just change Mary's life. It changed the lives of her whole family, as they had to come together and find ways to care for Mary.
Caregivers
Alzheimer’s disease has changed Greg’s personality, forcing him to rely on strategies to cope with social situations and leaving him feeling isolated and afraid.
Patients
Watch Greg's Story
“We say it takes a village to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and the first citizens of the village are the doctors who have the expertise to diagnose the disease and will be treating the patients,” says Ivana Rubino, Head of Medical, Alzheimer’s Business Unit at Biogen
What We Hear from Physicians
The Role of Physicians
Ivana Rubino
Watch Kamaria's Story
² https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
¹ https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
1621-1675
1621-1675
Neurology as a medical and treatment area is first defined.
1797
1797
Dementia first accepted as a medical term.
1906
1906
Dr. Alois Alzheimer is the first doctor to describe what would become known as Alzheimer’s disease
1968
1968
Researchers develop the first scale that measures the cognitive and functional decline in older adults
1984
1984
Beta-amyloid
The primary amino acid sequence of beta-amyloid is first discovered by scientists. Since then, accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain have been linked to memory loss and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
1986
1986
Tau proteins aggregate to neurofibrillary tangles
Tau is identified by scientists as being related to Alzheimer’s disease. Tau is now known as a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
1993
1993
First approved treatment for Alzheimer's disease dementia.
2021
2021
First treatment approved that impacts the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease.
1922
1926
1932
1936
1922
In 1922,
Pepper argues and wins Federal Baseball Club v. National League, the Supreme Court case granting Major League Baseball its exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1926
In 1926,
Pepper argues and wins Myers v. United States, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the president has the exclusive power to remove executive branch officials, and does not need the approval of the Senate or any other legislative body.
1932
In 1932,
Pepper argued and won United States v. Smith, in which the Supreme Court gave President Hoover a victory in a bitter battle with the U.S. Senate over appointees to the Federal Power Commission.
1936
In 1936,
In United States v. Butler, Pepper persuaded the Supreme Court that a major portion of the Roosevelt Administration’s “New Deal” economic recovery program was unconstitutional.
References
Yang HD, Kim DH, Lee SB, Young LD. History of Alzheimer's Disease. Dement Neurocogn Disord. 2016;15(4):115-121. doi:10.12779/dnd.2016.15.4.115
“Alzheimer's Disease Milestones.” Alzheimer's Association, https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/milestones
There are currently over 500 ongoing clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease.
Explore Trials
On November 3, 1906, clinical psychiatrist and neuroanatomist Alois Alzheimer reported, “a peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex” to the 37th Meeting of South-West German Psychiatrists in Tübingen. He described a 50-year-old woman whom he had followed from her admission for paranoia, progressive sleep and memory disturbance, aggression and confusion until her death five years later. Her name was Auguste Deter. His report noted distinctive plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain histology.
Science
Looking Inside the Brain
Watch Now
On tracking Alzheimer’s disease in the brain
Head of Biomarkers at Biogen
John Beaver
On Clinical Trials
Head of Neurodegeneration Development Unit at Biogen
On the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease research
Watch Now
Samantha Budd Haeberlein
Working to solve the Alzheimer’s disease problem means following the science and learning from those who came before us, listening to those living with the disease and understanding the impact of Alzheimer’s on society.
These interconnected parts come together, giving us the full picture of the puzzle so that we can work toward a solution.
Copy Link
The Alzheimer's Puzzle | Biogen Stories
insert link
