Date: 18 May 2017
Time: 8-9AM
Venue: Seminar Room T09- 04, Level 9, NUHS Tower Block
Speaker: Dr. Dale Bredesen, Founding President, Buck Institute for Research on Ageing; Professor, Department of Neurology, UCLA
Chairperson: A/Prof John Wong CM, Head & Senior Consultant, Dept. of Psychological Medicine
Brief Abstract:
Cognitive decline is a major concern of the aging population. Already, Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 5.4 million Americans and 30 million people globally. Without effective prevention and treatment, the prospects for the future are bleak. The uniform failure of recent drug trials in Alzheimer’s disease has highlighted the critical need for a more accurate understanding of the fundamental nature of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Dale Bredesen’s research has led to new insight that explains the erosion of memory seen in Alzheimer’s disease, and has opened the door to a new therapeutic approach. He has found evidence that Alzheimer’s disease stems from an imbalance in nerve cell signalling: in the normal brain, specific signals foster nerve connections and memory making, while balancing signals support memory breaking, allowing irrelevant information to be forgotten. The Bredesen Protocol has identified ‘36 holes’ or mechanisms which have been developed into a comprehensive therapeutic programme that has in many cases helped Alzheimer’s patients reverse their condition.