New study looks into Alzheimer’s disease

JACKSON, Tenn. — June is Brain Health Awareness Month, and experts want to help you get ahead.

Dr. Joshua Grill, the professor of Psychiatry and Neurobiology Behavior at the University of California-Irvine, says as people get older, the risk of Alzheimer’s to the brain increases.

Grill says Alzheimer’s disease is affecting more than six million Americans currently. And now, experts have created the “Ahead” study.

The study helps identify people at the highest risk of Alzheimer’s through blood tests and brain scans.

And it tests whether a protein called amyloid might be accumulating in the brain and how to intervene with treatment.

“And so the Ahead study is going to answer a very important question: If we lower the amounts of amyloid in the brain of a person of whom it’s beginning to accumulate, can we stave off the memory problems and dementia entirely?” Grill said.

Grill also says unlike the past, they want the Ahead study to be more inclusive and diverse.

“We want to enroll a diverse population so we can find solutions that work for everyone,” Grill said.

If you’re 55 to 80-years-old and want to join the Ahead study, there are numerous locations, including Vanderbilt.

To learn more or see if you are eligible, click here.

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