Many people worry that Alzheimer's disease is hereditary. Learn why genes such as APOE4 increase risk but do not determine your destiny, and discover how Precision Medicine can help address the factors affecting brain health.
The old belief that Alzheimer's disease is universally progressive and irreversible is no longer supported by the most recent Precision Medicine literature or by the results of the EVANTHEA study.
Emerging research, including the EVANTHEA Precision Medicine Study, suggests that cognitive decline may not always be a one-way street. In the EVANTHEA study, participants demonstrated improvements in cognitive measures over the course of the study rather than simply experiencing a slower rate of decline
At the Carroll Institute, we believe that cognitive decline is often influenced by multiple biological and neurological factors occurring simultaneously. These may include inflammation, insulin resistance, sleep disorders, vascular dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, environmental toxins, and changes in brain network function. The diagnosis tells us there is a problem. The real work begins when we identify what is causing it.
Is Alzheimer’s disease simply a drug deficiency, or does it reflect a systems breakdown in the brain? For decades, research focused on finding a single molecule to target, but results have fallen short. At The Carroll Institute, we believe that understanding the interconnected systems of metabolism, inflammation, sleep, and more is crucial. When multiple systems struggle, cognitive decline can occur. This comprehensive approach offers hope for patients and families, revealing that there may be many opportunities for intervention. Discover how a systems-based evaluation can change the conversation around Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive health.
Drugs like lecanemab and donanemab successfully remove amyloid from the brain, yet they do not restore lost memory or reverse Alzheimer's disease. Patients generally continue to decline, although at a somewhat slower rate. That raises an important question: If amyloid is truly the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease, why doesn't removing it produce dramatically greater improvement? At the Carroll Institute, we believe amyloid may be part of the story, but not the whole story. The brain is influenced by inflammation, metabolism, sleep, hormones, toxins, vascular health, and neural network function.
After decades of Alzheimer's research and billions of dollars in funding, many families still ask the same question: Why don't we have a meaningful cure? One reason may be that much of Alzheimer's research focused heavily on a single target—amyloid plaque. While reducing amyloid has produced important scientific insights, the real-world improvements often fell short of what patients and families hoped for.
