Researchers identify strategy to slow memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers in New York have discovered a way to slow memory loss and boost learning in mice with Alzheimer’s disease.
Unbranded – Newsworthy
Former NBC News anchor and current CBS correspondent Natalie Morales forgot her hotel room number during a recent business trip.
She said she went to the hotel gym and then returned to what she thought was her floor. She mentally noted her memory loss as she applied her key card to several doors in the hallway.
“Oh my god,” she thought. “I don’t know if I’m overworked or what’s going on. Maybe I have a perimenopausal brain.”
Another thought was that she might be showing early signs of dementia.
Morales, 54, does not have dementia. But she thinks about Alzheimer’s disease often. My mother-in-law, Kay Rose, passed away in 2014 after a long battle with the disease, which affects more than 7 million Americans today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Rose was Morales’ age when he was diagnosed.
“You know when you have memory loss or when you come across a word that you can’t think of,” Morales told USA TODAY. “Or I know this person, but what is their name? I can’t remember their name.”
Mr. Morales is currently participating in a campaign with Kisunla, an FDA-approved treatment for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, to raise awareness of early-onset Alzheimer’s symptoms and help more people get diagnosed. She encourages people to always talk to their doctor when they notice memory loss, or to talk about it if they notice symptoms in a loved one, even if it’s difficult.
“We’re at an age where we have to talk and think about these things more,” she said, adding that there are now many options for people with dementia that didn’t exist when her mother-in-law had dementia. “The outlook is now much more positive.”
Natalie Morales was a long-distance caregiver for her in-laws.
Morales said her family began noticing her mother-in-law’s memory and thinking problems about two years before she was diagnosed. They noticed that she had difficulty completing simple tasks and repeated the same things over and over in conversations.
Morales said Rose was lost in her own thoughts and was anxious and paranoid.
“I think she was always a little scared of getting that diagnosis,” Morales said. “And even though there was a little bit of that negativity, I think she knew better than anyone what she was feeling.”
Rose’s husband was her primary caregiver at the time, but Morales and her husband were long-distance caregivers. They watched from afar as Morales’ father-in-law’s health also began to deteriorate. She said that the impact of caring for her father-in-law was significant physically, mentally, and financially.
“I think this is typical, but for many caregivers, the more invested they are in the other person and their care, the more immersed they become in that care,” Morales said.
Morales and her family were in New York, and her in-laws lived in Denver. She said they “drop in” regularly, but relied primarily on neighbors and friends in the Denver area, especially after her mother-in-law passed away and her father-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He passed away in 2021.
“It’s been really difficult,” Morales said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even more difficult for long-distance caregivers. “You couldn’t really fly to the middle of the country.”
The community “really strengthened,” Morales said. Her father-in-law was able to spend his final days in his own home, in his own way, as he wished.
Morales said that as a caregiver, it is essential to know how your loved one wants to be cared for.
“These are very important conversations that I think many of us are very afraid to have,” she said. However, knowing my father-in-law’s wishes helped my family make the decision with peace of mind. “I think that helped him get the best outcome for his diagnosis.”
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.
