Cool stuff, especially once they get it to the level where it works as a quick test in primary care physicians’ rooms like they mention in the article. That said, the issue with this is that once...
Cool stuff, especially once they get it to the level where it works as a quick test in primary care physicians’ rooms like they mention in the article.
At the dementia stage of the disease, levels are more than 8 times higher compared with elderly without Alzheimer’s
That said, the issue with this is that once you reach the point of outside-visible memory loss/brain impairment, the brain is already something like 70% gone.
Like, really disappeared. Irreversibly, obviously. So the next logical step, apart from lowering cost/complexity of this test, would be to see just when it is that levels start to become detectable. A year ahead? 5 years beforehand? 10? The more precise even a merely potential risk indicator can get, the earlier it could be used as well.
Given Alzheimer’s (not dementia) is also somewhat inherited, maybe that can be used to specify “at-risk” groups, which in this scenario can be considered for the super-precise test at like age 50.
But then the question becomes what we do with these results, knowing you’re running into a disease with no treatment…
Get your affairs in order. Decide who you want to be your guardian, and convey your wishes to them as explicitly as possible. I'm not talking about a will, I'm talking about like, "If I think...
But then the question becomes what we do with these results, knowing you’re running into a disease with no treatment…
Get your affairs in order. Decide who you want to be your guardian, and convey your wishes to them as explicitly as possible. I'm not talking about a will, I'm talking about like, "If I think something good from 30 years ago is happening and I'm not hurting anyone, don't correct me" kind of thing. If you're still working and your job is important to you, determine which responsibilities you'll lose the capability for first and who will take those on. If you're still working and you don't care about your job, quit and enjoy the time you've got left with your whole brain. Determine if you'll be able to continue to care for any pets, and what will happen to them once you can't.
I can think of a lot of ways that I would rework my life if I found out that in a few years, I would be physically present but my brain would be working very differently and failing at many of the things that I ask of it. Even if I don't know when it will happen, having a plan in place for when it does could reduce a lot of anxiety for me, and a lot of difficulty and hardship for the people that I love.
Definitely agree with you. I also meant this as more of a philosophical-psychological question, and not necessarily “what to do next” in a concrete actionable manner. Really it’s a bit like the...
Definitely agree with you.
I also meant this as more of a philosophical-psychological question, and not necessarily “what to do next” in a concrete actionable manner.
Really it’s a bit like the science-fiction concept where people are told their exact dates of death in advance, but more watered-down. Would you change your behavior knowing you do or don’t have a lot of time left thinking “clearly”? Would you enjoy your life more or less? Considerations like these.
Oh plenty of things, yes for sure. I would get busy making a list of video games that I can still enjoy at various levels of decline. Play these first, save that one for later. Communicate with my...
Oh plenty of things, yes for sure.
I would get busy making a list of video games that I can still enjoy at various levels of decline. Play these first, save that one for later.
Communicate with my loved ones and child(ren) that there may come a time when I will scream at you and accuse you of stealing my money or worse. Please find it in your heart to forgive me ahead of time, and please each of you do a little bit of due diligence in double checking on my care providers, but othewise be vocal to each other that you believe them and not me.
Get things worked out with my lawyer, and also that unless I come back with (number) of loved ones who can prove I'm still okay, I can't just come back and pretend I'm sound of mind to change things.
To provide context: I saw a short clip of Swedish news (in Swedish) in which they had talked to Sebastian Palmqvist, one of the authors of the study. In this news segment, the narration stated...
Like, really disappeared. Irreversibly, obviously. So the next logical step, apart from lowering cost/complexity of this test, would be to see just when it is that levels start to become detectable. A year ahead? 5 years beforehand? 10? The more precise even a merely potential risk indicator can get, the earlier it could be used as well.
To provide context: I saw a short clip of Swedish news (in Swedish) in which they had talked to Sebastian Palmqvist, one of the authors of the study. In this news segment, the narration stated that the test could detect Alzheimer's disease ten years before symptoms first show.
Cool stuff, especially once they get it to the level where it works as a quick test in primary care physicians’ rooms like they mention in the article.
That said, the issue with this is that once you reach the point of outside-visible memory loss/brain impairment, the brain is already something like 70% gone.
Like, really disappeared. Irreversibly, obviously. So the next logical step, apart from lowering cost/complexity of this test, would be to see just when it is that levels start to become detectable. A year ahead? 5 years beforehand? 10? The more precise even a merely potential risk indicator can get, the earlier it could be used as well.
Given Alzheimer’s (not dementia) is also somewhat inherited, maybe that can be used to specify “at-risk” groups, which in this scenario can be considered for the super-precise test at like age 50.
But then the question becomes what we do with these results, knowing you’re running into a disease with no treatment…
Get your affairs in order. Decide who you want to be your guardian, and convey your wishes to them as explicitly as possible. I'm not talking about a will, I'm talking about like, "If I think something good from 30 years ago is happening and I'm not hurting anyone, don't correct me" kind of thing. If you're still working and your job is important to you, determine which responsibilities you'll lose the capability for first and who will take those on. If you're still working and you don't care about your job, quit and enjoy the time you've got left with your whole brain. Determine if you'll be able to continue to care for any pets, and what will happen to them once you can't.
I can think of a lot of ways that I would rework my life if I found out that in a few years, I would be physically present but my brain would be working very differently and failing at many of the things that I ask of it. Even if I don't know when it will happen, having a plan in place for when it does could reduce a lot of anxiety for me, and a lot of difficulty and hardship for the people that I love.
Definitely agree with you.
I also meant this as more of a philosophical-psychological question, and not necessarily “what to do next” in a concrete actionable manner.
Really it’s a bit like the science-fiction concept where people are told their exact dates of death in advance, but more watered-down. Would you change your behavior knowing you do or don’t have a lot of time left thinking “clearly”? Would you enjoy your life more or less? Considerations like these.
Oh plenty of things, yes for sure.
I would get busy making a list of video games that I can still enjoy at various levels of decline. Play these first, save that one for later.
Communicate with my loved ones and child(ren) that there may come a time when I will scream at you and accuse you of stealing my money or worse. Please find it in your heart to forgive me ahead of time, and please each of you do a little bit of due diligence in double checking on my care providers, but othewise be vocal to each other that you believe them and not me.
Get things worked out with my lawyer, and also that unless I come back with (number) of loved ones who can prove I'm still okay, I can't just come back and pretend I'm sound of mind to change things.
Start making living and care arrangements.
To provide context: I saw a short clip of Swedish news (in Swedish) in which they had talked to Sebastian Palmqvist, one of the authors of the study. In this news segment, the narration stated that the test could detect Alzheimer's disease ten years before symptoms first show.