Alzheimer's is a complex, progressive neurological disease that makes up 60-80 percent of dementia cases. Symptoms usually begin with mild, but noticeable memory loss, and may advance to the inability to speak or understand surroundings. Someone close to me once said that regular memory loss is, "I can't find my keys." Dementia memory loss is, "I don't know what keys are."
According to recent research posted on the National Institute on Aging website, Alzheimer's specifically affects about 6.5 million people in the U.S., age 65 and older.
What happens in the brain?
Plaques and tangles are believed to be some of the culprits in neurons misfiring and/or shutting down. The Alzheimer's Association shares, "The average brain has 100 billion nerve cells called neurons. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that build up in the spaces between nerve cells. Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau that build up inside cells."
Here is a video specifically explaining the Tau Protein Pathology:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
But good news may be on the horizon. A new clinical study, published in the Lancet Neurology Journal, shows promise that it could "be possible to delay symptoms in people genetically fated to develop Alzheimer's at a young age." In the piece, "Scientists Announce Possible Breakthrough in Delaying Alzheimer’s" on Gizmodo, writer Ed Cara reveals that a new trial led by the Washington University School of Medicine set out to re-test Gantenerumab, an "experimental anti-amyloid drug (which could) help people with an inherited form of Alzheimer's."
Cara writes, "In a subset of patients treated the longest, the drug appeared to reduce their risk of developing symptoms as expected, by 50 percent." He adds, "The findings will require follow-up, but outside experts are cautiously optimistic about what this could mean for the future of treating Alzheimer's."
There have been quite a few starts and stops with trials for this particular drug, which is a monoclonal antibody. For some patients in previous trials, there were some pretty hefty side effects as well as flaws in the design of prior studies, which even led to the abandonment of the drug for a while. However, there is a glimmer of hope from doctors and researchers that there is light in this dark, scary diagnosis.
Cara also shares that the senior author and professor of neurology at Washington University Medicine, Randall J. Bateman, claimed, "Everyone in this study was destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and some of them haven’t yet. We don’t yet know how long they will remain symptom-free—maybe a few years or maybe decades."
Human anatomy model.
Photo by David Matos on Unsplash
A commenter astutely points out, "This is fantastic news. But one of the big issues—and it is by no means a 'small' task to address—is early detection that's fast and simple. This disease is like a simmering volcano. By the time you realize there's a problem at all, the volcano has already erupted, and you're just playing triage damage control after that.
"But if you can catch it early, before symptoms present, as a normal part of yearly preventative health screenings (not to make light of the accessibility issue of that for so many people), the options to address it expand dramatically. And you get to start treating it before the disease begins to adversely affect people's quality of life, both for those suffering from the disease and for those caring for the people suffering from it."
That is the hope—catching it early and fending it off for as long as possible. And ultimately, eradicating it from our brains completely. It's one step at a time, and this week's steps seem positive.
Ultrasound of human baby.Image via 
IVF animated process.Image via 
A couple speaks with a fertility professional.Image via 
Love, Mom.Photo from Heidi Johnson 
A teen boy having a hard time. 
The obituary paints a comic, if bleak, picture. 
A Facebook post about the obituary.
Woman feeling pain in buttocks area.Image via Canva - Photo by Kaspars Grinvalds
An animated towel dry. 
Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.