When Alzheimer's disease is at work and home

Also: Are we seeing a post-Thanksgiving COVID bump — or a spike? [View in browser](    [❤️]( December 6, 2022 Hi CommonHealth reader, Last week was a big one in the world of Alzheimer's disease research, as scientists [unveiled the much-anticipated results of their trial]( on the latest experimental drug. Dorene Rentz was there to hear about it. Rentz lives and works with Alzheimer's about as closely as anyone. Not only is she the co-director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, her husband has the disease. After last week's big news, I wanted to speak with her about what the findings showed, how she became interested in Alzheimer's research, and what it's like living with a person who has Alzheimer's disease. Here are some highlights from our conversation. What to make of the new drug Rentz was in the room at an Alzheimer's conference in San Francisco when researchers presented their findings on the latest drug, lecanemab, which is aimed at stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The study showed there was a bit of success in slowing cognitive declines, but there were also real risks, like swelling and bleeding in the brain, and even death. “The reactions were mixed,” Rentz said of the response to the findings at the conference. “Some people were very excited about it, calling it historic. They love the transparency of the trial. Other people were warning, ‘but this is only a modest effect.’ ” “It's not a cure for Alzheimer's disease, but it's really a step forward,” she added. “It's really one of the first positive trials for a disease-modifying agent in Alzheimer's disease.” On studying this disease Rentz was working on her doctoral degree when she saw her first patient with Alzheimer’s disease. She decided to write her dissertation on the condition because of its unique nature. “[This was] at a time when Alzheimer's disease was not a household name,” she recalled. “What interested me about it was the fact that Alzheimer's disease robs people of their personality, their memories, and who they are, their sense of self. And I never thought a disease could do that.” After practicing as a neuropsychologist and studying memory, Rentz returned to her focus on Alziehmer’s disease. She’s now been working in this field for more than 30 years. On living alongside this disease Roughly two decades ago, Rentz transformed her home office into a bedroom, and her mother-in-law moved in. She’d just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and she lived with Rentz and her family for a number of years up until her death. “We watched her deteriorate because there wasn't anything you could really do for the disease at that particular time,” Rentz said, adding that her mother-in-law’s three sisters also developed Alzheimer’s. Despite knowing that the disease runs in families — and intimately knowing the symptoms — Rentz said it took her a couple of years to acknowledge that her husband was showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease, too. This was about five years ago. She then worked quickly to get him into a study aimed at preventing the progression of the disease. She says she feels lucky that he can still drive and go to the store and cook. “He has very little awareness of his memory problems,” she said. “One of the beauties of the disease is that it robs people, sometimes, of their self-awareness. And so he isn't living moment-to-moment with the fact that he forgets. It only comes to him periodically.” Still, Rentz said, it’s with their kids in mind that she keeps working long hours. “We don't want them to have to go through this, or our grandkids to have to take care of their parents,” she said. “Am I optimistic that we'll get there in time? I hope so.” P.S.— If there's still room in your holiday schedule, WBUR CitySpace has a few upcoming events that readers of this newsletter may be interested in. As part of a mini-series on health and longevity starting tomorrow, Meghna Chakrabarti is hosting deep-dive discussions with Dan Buettner ([on the places with the highest concentration of centenarians]( and David Sinclair ([on why aging might be reversible](. Both in-person and virtual tickets are available. Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Bump or spike? COVID in wastewater has experts unsurprised but wary]( As people gathered with loved ones over the holiday weekend, data suggests the virus had an opportunity to spread. But so far hospitals have seen only modest increases in patients hospitalized or in intensive care units with COVID. [Read more.]( [Bump or spike? COVID in wastewater has experts unsurprised but wary]( As people gathered with loved ones over the holiday weekend, data suggests the virus had an opportunity to spread. 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