Thanks for the alert, Mimi.  The PBS website says this will air next week

Join investigators as they untangle the cause of Alzheimer’s and race to develop a cure. Airing April 14, 2016 at 9 pm on PBS.

http://video.pbssocal.org/video/2365679812/

Iris L.

I heard on PBS tonight that the Alzheimer's program will be on Nova tomorrow, Wednesday, April 13, at 9 pm on PBS.  Check your local listings.

Iris L.

TONIGHT on Nova:  Scientists untangle the cause of Alzheimer's.  

Check your local PBS listing.

Iris L.

Bill, Talk to your wife. I don't recall any late stage folks. Most of the folks seen were in the Early or early-mid stages. I found it very positive. I used to hope that my kids would benefit. Now there is a possibility that those of us in early stage may benefit.

Greg O'Brien, I believe wrote On Pluto appeared a few times.

There were two main studies that showed actual reversal of the disease: one in CA and one in MA. However, the drug (and maybe there were2 different ones?) only worked in higher doses and with those who were in the early stages. Some serious side effects that caused some (didn't give numbers) to withdraw. So careful monitoring will be necessary.  The major current problem, not addressed in the show, is that most patients are past this stage before diagnosis. 

Time was given to the familial studies now going on in Columbia,South America. All those with the disease traced back to a single ancestor.  There is a study for those with the specific gene predicting future AD to begin taking a higher dose of the above meds now. 

Interesting DNA research. If ATCG is present, the person will get the disease. Other combinations may also get it.  I'm wondering, if the particular gene components have any correlation with how the disease manifests itself.  

Discussion was only on Alzheimer's. Was this specific to AD?  None of the people had other types of dementia/? Where are we in researching other types?  FTD has many sub types and some are truly horrendous for the caregiver and probably also for the person with the disease.

Quote: Treatment becomes prevention.

I have to listen to the part about antibodies again.

I feel we should push those in our family line, who probably have some propensity towards dementia, to get involved in a clinical trial.

Discussed was that the tangles showed up in Pittsburg Compound ? PET Scans, long before symptoms show. I do believe this is a very expensive scan and usually only available in research situations. Not mentioned is that abnormalities can be spotted in spinal tap even before anything shows on those brain scans.

Something was said about those having symptoms not showing plaques. I have to listen again.  And is it only when the amalyoid  appears that symptoms appear???

Bill I feel like you. But it does get easier when you deal with it over and over. I believe it is very important to know and understand what is a head of us if we are going to make the right decisions. It is unfair to place the burden on others. 

This was hard to watch for anyone with any connection to Alzheimer's disease.  Having said that I thought that they did a good job of showing the disease from a human perspective. The science aspect of it just frustrated me.

There have been a few drugs (amyloid antibodies) that have seemed to slow down the progression of the disease--drugs by Genentech (crenezumab), Eli Lilly (solanezumab), and Biogen (aducanumab).  The first two drugs appeared to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease slightly.  Biogen's drug at the higher dose appeared to slow down the disease at an impressive rate (85%).  But about 40% of the people with the APOE4 gene dropped out of the trial because of adverse effects (mainly brain swelling).  Biogen then carried their results forward so at one year they were reporting the same levels of cognitive function for the APOE4  dropouts as from several months earlier (the FDA allows this but it seems unethical).  The results from their smaller doses were similar to those from Genentech and Eli Lilly.  At the very best, these antibodies seem to slightly slow down the progression of the disease at its very earliest stages (and I am doubtful of even of that).

The gene discussion was only for Alzheimer's disease.  All the genes that lead to the early onset of Alzheimer's disease lead to amyloid plaques and tau tangles, but all the genes that lead to Alzheimer's disease also lead to oxidation.  A few studies have suggested that certain genes may contribute to hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease.

The suggestion was made that symptoms only appear in people that have both amyloid and tangles and that the amyloid causes the tangles.  But I don't think it is a case of cause and effect, the same process (nitration) which first leads to the plaques leads to the tangles later.

No trials using amyloid or tau antibodies have really worked--it is not a matter of targeting both at the same time, or starting earlier, or having stronger antibodies,  or targeting different forms of amyloid.  Some clinical trials using antioxidants have worked (aromatherapy and panax ginseng, for instance).  Cannabis oil containing several anitoxidants also appears to help as well.  A diet high in antioxidant polyphenols such as a Mediterranean diet appears to delay the onset and progression of the disease. One of the nuns in the famous study who had lots of amyloid and tau tangles in her brain ate grapefruit every day.

I don't really like picking on people and especially not PBS but they should not have been so myopic in their presentation.

The question was, Can AD be stopped?  From what I can deduce from the program, the answer is, Not yet.  The research presented with monoclonal antibodies has already been proven to be not helpful.  It looks like they don't have much to offer.

Here is a site with more brief videos from Nova regarding research on Alzheimer's Disease.

I could not view them because my sound card is acting up.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/alzheimers-be-stopped.html

Iris L.