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Med Center takes aim at Alzheimer's

copyright: Sacramento Bee Its research center is one of 30 such facilities in the U.S. getting federal funds to find a cure. By Edie Lau -- Bee Science Writer - (Published June 12, 2004) At 48th and Y streets in Sacramento, Dr. Charlie DeCarli is looking into the disease that took the last years of Ronald Reagan's life.DeCarli directs the Alzheimer's Disease Center at UC Davis Medical Center. It's one of 30 such centers around the country that receives federal money to probe the memory-robbing illness that afflicted the former president, and another 4.5 million Americans living today."We lose great people (to this disease)," said DeCarli, a neurologist. "Not just presidents. But your mom. Your brother. Your sister."The recognition that everyone grows vulnerable with age to developing Alzheimer's has made the disease a top priority in the medical establishment among illnesses needing a cure. By age 80, DeCarli said, 30 percent to 40 percent of Americans are affected. Like many in the research community, DeCarli credits Reagan with raising the profile of the illness, and lessening its stigma. The former president wrote an open letter to Americans in November 1994 to share his diagnosis. "... We hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it ."In 2002, actor Charlton Heston also went public with a diagnosis of suspected Alzheimer's. His and Reagan's public acknowledgments have contributed greatly to educating people, DeCarli said."We have these older men coming out and admitting to having Alzheimer's disease, and when you see them, they're not crazy, so it dispels a lot of myths," he said. "Even in the 21st century, people think you're either crazy or you're drooling when you get this diagnosis. They're demystifying and de-demonizing this disease."Today, thousands of researchers around the world devote their days to solving the Alzheimer's puzzle. Scientists know the disease probably results from production of an abnormal protein in the brain, leading to the formation of clumps called amyloid plaques. But they don't know why the protein develops.Sometimes, they can slow its effects, but they cannot stop it. Every research center has a slightly different research emphasis. UC Davis is known for diagnostic brain imaging.For example, DeCarli and his collaborators recently completed a study - yet to be published - showing that atrophy of the part of the brain related to memory is an early sign of Alzheimer's."The idea is that if you come in with memory impairment, your doctor should be getting a brain image and looking at the hippocampal size," DeCarli said.UC Davis researchers also are exploring the links between cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's, as well as ethnic differences in the risk of developing the disease. The center has a dozen researchers and 40 support staff in two locations: Sacramento and Martinez. It sees about 500 dementia patients each year, and operates with a yearly budget of about $3.5 million.In Northern California, Alzheimer's research goes on also at UC San Francisco, Stanford University, the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and the Buck Institute. Elizabeth Edgerly, staff liaison to the scientific advisory council of the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California, said the national association is the leading private funder of Alzheimer's research, distributing $150 million over the past 10 years. Warning signs of Alzheimer's disease1. Recent memory loss that affects job skills 2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks 3. Problems with language 4. Disorientation of time, place 5. Poor or decreased judgment 6. Problems with abstract thinking 7. Misplacing things 8. Changes in mood, behavior 9. Changes in personality 10. Loss of initiative

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