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From VOA learning English, |
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this is the Health Report. |
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You wake up early one morning to make a meal |
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to take to work and then you forget it. |
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Has this ever happened to you? |
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Or you see your next door neighbour someone you know well |
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but you can not remember his name. |
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Your family doctor says it is nothing to worry about, |
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just a part of getting old. |
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Well, that is true, it might not be the whole story. |
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At a conference two weeks ago, researchers said |
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they now have proof that self-reproted minor memory lose |
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sometimes led to greater mental decline six years later. |
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The Alzheimer's Association organized the event. |
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Rebecca Amariglio is a neuropsychologist |
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at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. |
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She found that individuals who worried about their memory |
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will more likely to suffer a loss of mental ability. |
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Her research shows that such persons were likely |
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to have a protein called beta-amyloid in the brain. |
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Beta-amyloid is suspected of being at least |
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partly involved with Alzheimer's disease. |
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Evidence that the disease develops |
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for an unknown period of time before experts |
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recognize it is leading to a new area of study. |
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It is called subjective cognitive decline. |
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It involves people who sense that their memory |
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and thinking skills are failing before others realize it. |
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Experts want to inform the public that most people |
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who worry about their mental decline do not develop dementia |
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-- the most commonm form of Alzheimer's. |
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what they are experiencing is truly natural and normal aging. |
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Ronald Petersen is a member of the Alzhermer's |
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Association National Board. |
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He says people should be tested |
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if they fear they might have the disease. |
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Doctor Petersen says it is important |
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that subjective cognitive decline be recognized. |
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In his words, it can be a wake-up call for doctors. |
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"So the doctors do not dismiss somebody when they come in, |
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say, eg. 'Doctor, my memory isn't quite what it used to be.' |
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Again, doesn't mean it's Alzheimer's Diseaser. |
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But it does suggest the physician that he or she |
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needs to ask few more probing questions." |
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He says doctors might ask patients about other issues, |
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like any medicines they are taking |
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and whether they suffer from anxiety, depression or stress. |
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He says all those things can cause changes in memory. |
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At the same time, he says, |
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memory loss could be an early sign of something more serious. |
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Doctor Peterson describes the recognition of |
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subjective cognitive decline as an important change |
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that will help doctors identify who might be at risk. |
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That way, when therapies are developed, |
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the eariler doctors intervene, |
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the more likely these treatments might be effective. |
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Right now, there is no way to cure Alzheimer's. |
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And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English. |
