For: Immediate Release
Contact: Robert Cavanaugh
Date: December 6, 2005
New Jersey Neuroscience Institute:
National Alzheimer's Awareness Month
EDISON , NJ —November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month. As of now, Alzheimer's disease has no known single cause, but research continues to teach us a lot about Alzheimer's disease and the variety of factors that may play a role in the onset of the disease.
"One of the worst aspects about the disease is that it comes on silently, damaging the brain years before symptoms appear,” notes Nancy Isenberg, M.D., M.P.H., Director of Behavioral Neurology and Assistant Professor at The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute (NJNI) at JFK Medical Center in Edison. "Silent as it is, that means it's less likely to be diagnosed until symptoms are obvious. For the patient this means early intervention is doubtful. When the symptoms finally emerge, nerve cells that process, store and retrieve information have already begun the dying process."
Alzheimer's disease steals the past and the future from those who suffer from it.
Early treatment offers the best hope. Numerous studies have shown that it helps slow the rate of disease progression, thereby improving the patient's quality of life and level of functioning.
So what is one to do to put time and medicine on their side? Says Isenberg, “It's important to be aware of the disease and its symptoms so that you can recognize the potential onset. It's also important to know your risk factors, such as age and family history.”
Age plays a critical role with Alzheimer's—most often striking individuals after the age of 65. The likelihood of developing the disease doubles every five years after age 65. By age 85, the risk is nearly 50%.
Genetics, too, offer a key. Research has shown that those with a parent or sibling who have or had the disease are two to three times more likely to develop it than those who have no family history of Alzheimer's.
While awareness is important for any disease, such as Alzheimer's, it's misleading to think it's the sole cause of memory loss. Dr. Isenberg and colleague Joseph Giacino, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at NJNI, have seen patients and their families come in to the Memory Disorders Clinic at NJNI fearing the disease. Often these patients do suffer from memory dysfunction due to Alzheimer's disease or another disorder; however, sometimes these patients have normal age-related memory changes “These worried well , as I call them, are often extremely relieved to discover that they do not have dementia”, says Dr. Isenberg. “Commonly the memory symptoms will improve when patients are told that they do not suffer from Alzheimer's disease or another cause of dementia.”
Dr. Giacino notes, “As we age, there is a slowing in how we retrieve information. It's natural to have some difficulty in remembering things--the brain simply isn't as swift as it is when it is young. But when the slowed process is accompanied by other cognitive difficulties, such as problem solving, language, a general deterioration of thinking, a change in behavior, there may be something other than an aging brain occurring.”
In addition to the diagnostic expertise, the NJNI, a comprehensive memory disorder center, offers a multi-disciplinary approach. The Memory Disorders Clinic at NJNI is able to capitalize on the collective knowledge and experience of specialists from a variety of disciplines. That expertise allows the staff to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, as well as to formulate a specific and appropriate treatment plan.
The Memory Disorders Clinic is the joint effort of Drs. Isenberg and.Giacino, as well as an elder care social worker, and a patient education network. The comprehensive evaluation offers a specialized treatment plan for each patient and his/her family, factoring in the unique set of cirucumstances that each person brings to his/her visit. Short and long term issues are discussed. Caregiver concerns are addressed. Planning for the future is facilitated. Families are often relieved to discover that there are medications than can slow the progression of the disease. In addition they feel reassured that there are adult-day programs that may help in the caring of the involved relative. At NJNI patients can receive a complete workup for a wide range of neurological disorders.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of complex neurological disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the Institute include programs in spine and brain tumors, degenerative spinal disorders, dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, stroke, and movement disorders. The neurosurgery division is comprised of 5 fellowship-trained surgeons with expertise in minimally-invasive spinal surgery, vascular and endovascular surgery, pain and movement disorder surgery, epilepsy surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, and minimally-invasive brain surgery. As a department of Seton Hall University 's School of Graduate Medical Education , NJNI serves as the clinical setting for SHU's residency training in neurology. For more information on the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call 732-321-7950 or visit the facility online at www.njneuro.org .