This illustration made available by the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health depicts cells in an Alzheimer’s affected brain, with abnormal levels of the beta-amyloid protein clumping together to form plaques, brown, that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. (National Institute on Aging, NIH via AP)

Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better treatments of the incurable disease.

(Alexandra Marta / Unsplash)

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are studying adults in their 80s and up with high-functioning cognitive abilities.

An image of the brain of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. (WTTW News)

The degenerative brain disease, for which there currently is no cure, takes a terrible toll on both patients and caregivers. By the year 2060, some 3.5 million Latinos are expected to be afflicted with the disease.

FILE - This image provided by Biogen on Monday, June 7, 2021 shows a vial and packaging for the drug Aduhelm. (Biogen via AP, File)

The acting head of the Food and Drug Administration on Friday called for a government investigation into highly unusual contacts between some of her agency’s drug reviewers and the maker of a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug.

In this 2019 photo provided by Biogen, a researcher works on the development of the medication aducanumab in Cambridge, Mass. (Biogen via AP)

Plus: “Chicago Tonight” gets into the controversy behind the drug’s approval

The Food and Drug Administration said it granted approval to the drug from Biogen based on results that seemed “reasonably likely” to benefit Alzheimer’s patients. It’s the only drug that U.S. regulators have said can likely treat the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.

In this Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 file photo, an elderly couple walks past the Berlaymont building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels. (AP Photo / Francisco Seco, File)

People with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia versus those with low genetic risk and good habits, researchers reported Sunday. 

If you want to save your brain, focus on keeping the rest of your body well with exercise and healthy habits rather than popping vitamin pills, new guidelines for preventing dementia advise.

In this April 29, 2019 photo provided by the University of Kentucky, Dr. Peter T. Nelson inspects a section of brain in the neuropathology lab at the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging in Lexington, Kentucky (Mark Cornelison / University of Kentucky via AP)

Some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it’s critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart.

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New research suggests seniors who aren’t on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer’s disease.

(StockSnap / Pixabay)

Northwestern University is one of dozens of medical centers across the country studying whether the drug can protect against or slow down the progression of the disease in patients already experiencing symptoms.

An estimated 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to rise. We learn about one of the world’s most comprehensive studies of the disease, taking place right here in Chicago.

(Marco Verch / Flickr)

A common but preventable gum infection may facilitate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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In the last two decades, only four drugs have been approved to treat Alzheimer’s symptoms, according to a new report. “I’m very optimistic that within 10 years we’ll have a breakthrough,” said Dr. Doug Williamson of biopharmaceutical company Lundebeck.

Speakers at The Atlantic’s “Disrupting Alzheimer’s” event on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (Kristen Thometz / Chicago Tonight)

Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers, caregivers and advocates are optimistic about the future. “I see a treatment, it’s going to happen,” said William Klein, a professor at Northwestern University.  

(StockSnap / Pixabay)

Latinos are 50 percent more likely to Alzheimer’s disease than their white counterparts. Meet a Chicago researcher trying to find out why.

The new Silver Search program provides education and resources to help locate people who have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia when they go missing.