Prevention remains our best weapon to protect our memory and ward off cognitive decline. On the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day this September 21st, Professor Philippe Amouyel, director of the Alzheimer’s Foundation, shares his key advice for preserving our “brain capital”.
“By the time the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear, it has already been progressing for more than 20 years,” explains Professor Amouyel, director of the Alzheimer’s Foundation and professor of public health. He continues, explaining that the reason it takes so long is that during this entire period, “the brain resists the disease’s attacks by compensating for neuronal loss.” Until the day this adaptive capacity reaches its limit: the symptoms appear.
Hence the importance of prevention to help the brain retain intellectual faculties for as long as possible, and ultimately to postpone the age of onset of symptoms.
