Alzheimer’s: A Personal Beginning, A Scientific Understanding

My young connection:

            Growing up, I have always had a very close relationship with my family, and especially with my grandparents. I was lucky enough to have my father’s side live next door to us, so visits were very common. As a young child, I would go over to their house to play and spend time with my grandfather, who had a special fondness for me. Yet there was one memory that has stayed with me and has decisively influenced my passion in neurological conditions.

It was a humid summer day in Florida in the year 2012, and I was four years old. My grandma sent me to go bring my grandpa his favorite fruit, mango, which of course became one of my favorites, and told me he needed a snack and some cold water. Without a second thought, I entered the room. Once he realized someone entered the room, he sat up straighter in his bed and looked at me funny. I thought he was joking with me, as we had a very playful relationship, until he started demanding answers to who I was and why I was there in a frantic, loud, and intense manner. My grandmother came quickly behind me, took my hand, and tugged me out of the room. I wanted to question why this happened, but the regretful look on my grandmother’s face convinced me otherwise. Experiencing this as a young girl is hard to hear and understand. I was always told that my family loved me, so why couldn’t my own grandpa remember who I was? Did I do something?

Years later, I would become conscious of what four-year-old me could not. My grandfather didn’t forget me out of choice. He had Alzheimer’s disease.

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But what exactly is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition characterized with slowed mental processes and cognitive decline, including memory loss. While Alzheimer’s is primarily sporadic in majority of cases, meaning it has complex genetic and environmental interactions, it has a strong genetic component. Late-onset (around 65 years or older) is influenced by genes like APOE-e4, whereas small percentages of early-onset (while rare) are caused by deterministic mutations.

This disease was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist who first identified the neurodegenerative disease in 1906. He was studying the brain tissue of a female patient who suffered from confusion, severe memory loss, and psychological changes, representing the primary symptoms of the progressive neurological condition.

Alzheimer’s is the most frequently recorded dementia type, accounting for 60%-80% of all dementia patients. Approximately 6.9 million people in the United States, and 55 million worldwide have dementia, making the 60%-80% statistic even more riveting. The age of patients typically affected starts around age 65 or older, with extremely rare genetic cases beginning as early as 30, making it one of the most significant neurological health challenges of our time.

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What is Alzheimer’s effect on the brain?

  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Scientists believe Alzheimer's disease prevents parts of a cell's factory from running well. They are not sure where the trouble starts. But just like a real factory, backups and breakdowns in one system cause problems in other areas. As damage spreads, cells lose their ability to do their jobs and, eventually die, causing irreversible changes in the brain.” Alzheimer’s destroys neurons, causing widespread and unrepairable damage to the brain. These processes lead to significant shrinking of brain tissue beginning with the memory-focused hippocampus. This disrupts the brain’s ability to communicate, resulting in progressive cognitive, functional, and behavioral decline.

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Prevention and Risk Reduction

Healthy habits, including staying physically active, eating nutritious foods, and keeping your heart healthy, can lower the risk or slow memory loss. This was proven in research through a prospective longitudinal study with over 29,000 participants in China where the results concluded that, “Compared to participants who had an “unfavourable” lifestyle, those who had a “favourable” lifestyle were 89% less at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. For participants with the “average” lifestyle, the risk was 29% lower” (Bherer).

Maintaining cardiovascular health, engaging in frequent physical activity, and remaining cognitively active have all been associated with decreased dementia risk.

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Stages of Alzheimer’s:

Alzheimer’s disease ranges from mild to severe as it progresses, with more extreme symptoms occurring as time continues. In Mild Alzheimer’s, the patient remains in control of function independently, but experiences short-term memory loss, difficulty finding words, planning, organizing, and misplacing items. There are noticeable cognitive changes, including difficulty with language and communication. The “middle” stage or moderate Alzheimer’s is often the longest stage. In Moderate Alzheimer’s, individuals experience more drastic mood shifts, increased anxiety, confusion in familiar situations, and may require help with daily tasks. Aggression or paranoia is common. Severe Alzheimer’s consists of severe cognitive decline. Independent tasks and daily habits are essentially impossible without assistance. Individuals often require full-time aid with eating, mobility, and basic daily functions. Communication, physical movement, and responding to the environment are not viable for individuals with this stage.

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Signs and symptoms

For Alzheimer’s, there are early signs and symptoms that can signal developing Dementia or Alzheimer’s in specific. Some early symptoms can be forgetting recent events or conversations. Researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, the neuroscience department, emphasize that you should see a specialist if you are: forgetting important events or conversations that happened recently, getting lost in familiar places, having trouble managing money or paying bills, having difficulty following recipes or instructions you've used before, having problems finding the right words during conversations, having changes in judgment or decision-making, or your family members expressing concern about your memory. Early assessment allows for better management and identification of potentially treatable conditions.

The Yale ADRU (Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit) offers a free Caregiver Support Group for families navigating the emotional and logistical challenges of the disease. It meets monthly from 1:00-2:00pm on the first Tuesday of every month in person or on zoom. For more information, visit Yale School of Medicine’s website (https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/alzheimers/info/) for who to contact next to receive information.

Here in Tampa Bay, the USF Byrd Alzheimer’s Center also has programs that may be able to help you. On the website, https://health.usf.edu/medicine/byrd, there are Alzheimer’s disease caregiver podcasts and support programs to help you better cope with the challenges of caring for a loved one with the disease.

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What is being done?

Research institutions are actively reshaping how Alzheimer’s is treated and understood. At crucial institutions including Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, and specifically their Aging and Dementia research, scientists have been researching why Alzheimer’s develops and how it could be treated or affected. The Center for Research on Aging and Quality of Life is investigating risk factors for Alzheimer’s, bridging population-level science with real-world implications for families of all backgrounds.

Currently, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s. There are some treatments available. According to Medical News Today, “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source has approved the following cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer’s disease: galantamine (Razadyne) to treat mild to moderate stages, rivastigmine (Exelon) to treat mild to moderate stages, and donepezil (Aricept) to treat all stages”.

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Conclusion:

If you are experiencing symptoms, talk to your health care provider to see if the symptoms you are experiencing are related to Alzheimer’s disease or another, potentially treatable condition. While current medicines cannot cure Alzheimer’s, they may help with symptoms or slow cognitive decline. Maintaining healthy habits has been associated with decreased risks of developing Dementia. Educational initiatives, such as Columbia University’s MemoryNOTES newsletter, provide guidance for families navigating Alzheimer’s, including their Do’s and Don’ts for supporting loved ones with Alzheimer’s.

As researchers continue uncovering the biological mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s, I am reminded that behind every statistic is a family like mine, and a reason to keep searching for answers. Future physicians, like myself, are challenged to continue the research and find mor ways to mitigate and hopefully one day cure the disease that so greatly affects families.

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Works Cited:

“About Alzheimer’s.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Aug. 2024, www.cdc.gov/alzheimers-dementia/about/alzheimers.html.

“Alzheimer’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 8 Nov. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447.

Bherer, Louis. “Living a Healthy Lifestyle Could Slow Memory Decline.” Observatoire de La Prévention de l’Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, 1 Mar. 2023, observatoireprevention.org/en/2023/03/01/living-a-healthy-lifestyle-could-slow-memory-decline/#:~:text=1%20March%202023%20Dr%20Louis,lifestyle%20could%20slow%20memory%20decline.

“Columbia Neurology.” Columbia Neurology, 2025, www.neurology.columbia.edu/.

“Information for Patients and Their Families.” Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/alzheimers/info/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2026.

MacGill, Marcus. “Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms, Stages, Causes, and Treatments.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 5 June 2025, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.

“What Is Alzheimer’s?” Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers. Accessed 08 Jan. 2026.

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