This article was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.
Dementia is a fairly common progressive disease that impacts almost every aspect of a person’s life, including driving, eating, spending time with family, motor control, memory, and even speech. Over time, the disease progresses and becomes worse.
Since there is no cure for dementia, many people continue to study possible ways to reduce the scary side effects and increase the amount of time that people with the condition can be independent and keep their thoughts sharp.
Here are five new advances in dementia research that could potentially help patients with dementia live longer, enjoy life more, and potentially even pause the development of the condition.
New Alzheimer’s Testing
In 2019, a new blood test was discovered that allows researchers to catch signs of Alzheimer’s in people who aren’t showing signs of mental decline yet. This study was huge, as it allows people with Alzheimer’s to know they have it before it even starts to impact their lives. For people with any type of dementia, this gives a new layer of hope as doctors continue to study potential cures for the illness.
A New Medication for Alzheimer’s
A new medication was recently approved to use in the US (in 2021). The drug is called aducanumab. However, it is not a direct cure for the condition and is still being studied. The drug doesn’t seem to work for everyone and is unlikely to reverse the effects already started from the progressive illness.
However, doctors do hope that being able to target dementia early on in a patient will give this drug room and time to do what it was made to do, which is to target the chemicals in the brain that clump together in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Always speak to your doctor before considering medication, as this one has some significant side effects.
Early Detection Efforts
In 2022, more efforts are being put into researching the best way to detect neurodegenerative diseases in patients before symptoms even come up. You can check out their continued efforts on their site, as well as updated research studies.
Blood-Brain Barrier Studies
A doctor named Professor Fish is currently doing studies on the blood-brain barrier and how it relates to Alzheimer’s and dementia. He has created a drug that could potentially slow the effects of Alzheimer’s, if not cure it. However, it is still in the research phase and will be going through trials soon. It is a wonderful ray of hope for those looking for other medication options in the future.
Hope for the Future
For those with dementia and the people that love them, it can sometimes seem like new research and treatment don’t come out enough. However, 2022 is a huge year of discovery and innovation, and people are working fast behind the scenes to come up with new methods of treating this scary degenerative condition.
Remember, you’re not alone. There is a huge community of people working toward a change each day, and research is being carried out as you read this. If you want to learn more about dementia and Alzheimer’s, check out BetterHelp today.