The End of Memory
A Natural History of Aging and Alzheimer’s
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An illuminating biography of "the plague of the twenty-first century" and scientists' efforts to understand and, they hope, prevent it, The End of Memory is a book for those who want to find out the true story behind an affliction that courses through families and wreaks havoc on the lives of millions.
It is a wicked disease that robs its victims of their memories, their ability to think clearly, and ultimately their lives. For centuries, those afflicted by Alzheimer's disease have suffered its debilitating effects while family members sit by, watching their loved ones disappear a little more each day until the person they used to know is gone forever. The disease was first described by German psychologist and neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. One hundred years and a great deal of scientific effort later, much more is known about Alzheimer's, but it still affects millions around the world, and there is no cure in sight.
In The End of Memory, award-winning science author Jay Ingram writes a biography of this disease that attacks the brains of patients. He charts the history of the disease from before it was noted by Alois Alzheimer through to the twenty-first century, explains the fascinating science of plaques and tangles, recounts the efforts to understand and combat the disease, and introduces us to the passionate researchers who are working to find a cure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this riveting tale of Alzheimer's disease, Canadian science writer Ingram (Fatal Flaws) elegantly traces the history of the persistent and devastating ailment and the many medical researchers who have contributed to the public's understanding of it. Ingram reviews German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer's 1901 case study of a 51-year-old patient, which offered insight into the causes of the patient's "premature symptoms of mental decline." Reports of Alzheimer's were largely unappreciated by the medical community, but researchers in the 1960s and 1970s confirmed that the "plaques" and "tangles" Alzheimer found in his patient's brain provided the explanation for the majority of cases of the disease. With crackerjack storytelling and fast-paced prose, Ingram examines recent research into Alzheimer's, reporting that loss of synapses in the brain, rather than loss of brain volume, accounts for the majority of cases of the dementia that can accompany Alzheimer's. While there is no cure for the disease, Ingram observes that social, intellectual, and physical activities have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of developing the disease, and he discusses promising drugs, such as citalopram, that may stop the growth of plaque. Ingram's first-rate medical writing makes this excellent history a must-read.
