Preventing Alzheimer's: Ways to Help Prevent, Delay, Detect, and Even Halt Alzheimer's Disease and Other Forms of Memory Loss

1. Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease
Daniel G. Amen, MD
Amen Clinics, Inc.

2. Is it ever too late to have a better brain?

3. SPECT = single photon emission
computed tomography

4. Alzheimer’s

5. Alcoholism

6. Brain Trauma

7. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Brain Activity Over TimeActivity

8. 30 year old 55 year old

9. Typical 82 year old, unhealthy brain

10. Typical 82 Dr. Doris Rapp 82

11. 1. Start by knowing the health
of your own brain

12. Andy

13. Healthy Andy

14. Andy 11 Years Later

15. Andy’s Brain Aged Backwards
1999 2010

16. 5 Warning Signs Your Brain Is In Trouble
1. Poor memory
2. Poor judgment
3. Depression
4. Obesity
5. Chronic insomnia/
sleep apnea

17. Regular Testing
Early If You Are At Risk
 Cognitive testing
 WebNeuro
 Brain SPECT or PET

18. 2. The Time to Stop Alzheimer’s Is NOW

19. National Institutes of Aging
OLD Alzheimer’s Guidelines
 Normal
 Mild cognitive impairment
 Alzheimer’s disease

20. National Institutes of Aging
NEW Alzheimer’s Guidelines
 Normal
 Preclinical stage
 Mild cognitive impairment
 Alzheimer’s disease

21. 59 Year Old Woman

22. 72 Year Old Man

23. 3. Know and Reduce Your Risk Factors

24. Know and Reduce Your Risk
 Genetic risks – Apo E4 gene
 Brain injury
 Alcohol abuse
 Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome
 CV disease, including high BP, lipid problems
 Cerebral vascular disease
 Exercise less than twice a week

25. Know and Reduce Your Risk (cont’d)
 Less formal education
 Diabetes
 Smoking
 Parkinson’s disease
 Untreated depression
 Untreated ADD
 Low estrogen from hysterectomies

26. Know and Reduce Your Risk (cont’d)
 Low testosterone levels
 Sleep apnea
 Cancer treatment
 Getting hair or nails done too often

27. 8 Ways SPECT Will Change
Everything You Do

28. 1. You Will Develop Brain Envy
Age 37 Age 57

29. 2. You will be more careful with
psychotropic medications
Healthy Xanax

30. 3. You won’t let your kids play
tackle football
Healthy NFL Player

31. 4. You will take environmental toxins
much more seriously
Healthy Firefighter

32. 5. You will take weight more seriously
Weight
Brain size

33. 6. Stop thinking in DSM terms only and
more in brain system pathology
Low activity depression High activity depression

34. 7. Think about the early detection and
prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
Healthy Early Alzheimer’s

35. Ray and Nancy
8. Think About Reversing Brain Damage

36. Nancy

37. Before After 10 Weeks

38. Ray and Nancy After

39. NOW Is The Time
 To get your brain tested
 To start making better decisions
 To avoid anything that hurts your brain and
engage in regular brain healthy habits
 To get any brain problems treated and to do
this program with a partner or in your
organization

40. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
If you don’t do the program?Activity

41. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
If you do the simple steps?Activity

42. Amen Clinics Inc.
www.amenclinics.com
San Francisco, CA
Newport Beach, CA
Bellevue, WA
Reston, VA (Wash D.C.)
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY