Alzheimer's is a tough disease to deal with...how can any of us stand to be without the parts of the brain that make us who we are? My mom is right now dealing with early onset Alzheimer's and since my grandmother and grandfather both died from it, I wonder how long it will be before my absent minded professor habits turn into full blown dementia in my overstressed, sleep-deprived mind...An article in Technology Review from MIT looks at new technologies being developed to help Alzheimer's patients recover cognitive functionality without the use of drugs. One being developed by Neuronix uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which researchers I know used in their work, in order to activate or deactivate specific regions of the brain as a way of circumventing neuronal damage. If this can become a way of treating the +5M people who are currently suffering along with all of their caregivers and those who love them, it will be a huge step forward!
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