The Alzheimer Conundrum: Entanglements of Dementia and Aging

Author: Margaret LockPublisher: Princeton University PressPaperback:ISBN 10: 0691168474ISBN 13: 978-0691168470Why our approaches to Alzheimer's and dementia are problematic and contradictoryDue to rapidly aging populations, the number of people worldwide experiencing dementia is increasing, and the projections are grim. Despite billions of dollars invested in medical research, no effective treatment has been discovered for Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. The Alzheimer Conundrum exposes the predicaments embedded in current efforts to slow down or halt Alzheimer’s disease through early detection of pre-symptomatic biological changes in healthy individuals.Based on a meticulous account of the history of Alzheimer’s disease and extensive in-depth interviews, Margaret Lock highlights the limitations and the dissent associated with biomarker detection. Lock argues that basic research must continue, but should be complemented by a public health approach to prevention that is economically feasible, more humane, and much more effective globally than one exclusively focused on an increasingly harried search for a cure. Review "The Alzheimer Conundrum is an eloquently reasoned, provocative work." (Choice)"[W]hether medical researchers or the general reader, this is a meaningful reading."---Liu, Economic Observer"The Alzheimer Conundrum is a provocative account of why Alzheimer's disease (AD) is such a puzzling mix of scientific hypotheses, research agendas, pharmaceutical interests, funding objectives, and theories of aging. . . . A timely critique of the disease model and its cultural consequences. The book’s appeal is that it takes readers beyond scientific fields to consider social, historical, and cross-cultural dimensions of AD that broaden conceptual debates about mind and body, nature and nurture, and normal and pathological."---Stephen Katz, Bulletin of the History of Medicine"[Lock] delivers key concepts in epidemiology, neuroscience and genetics in a way that is both scholarly and free of unnecessary technical details. Lock's bird's-eye view and mix of diverging sources of information is refreshing. . . . For its wide scope and balanced critical evaluation, The Alzheimer Conundrum is an inspiring read for everyone working in the field."---Eus Van Someren, Nature"Lock's book is balanced, brilliant, and inspirational. . . . The sheer travel, research, and organization that went into its creation are beyond impressive. Its lasting contribution is to leave the thoughtful reader in the AD field pondering the notion of a conundrum--after all, riddles abound in many aspects of our lives, always pointing to uncertainty."---Daniel R. George and Peter J. Whitehouse, Culture, Medicine, & Psychiatry"Lock's book is both a timely and incisive analysis of the dynamics of research, practice and policy in the domain of dementia, and a polemic about how this dynamic affects people living with dementia, and ultimately the way we engage with and manage aging processes as a society."---Tiago Moreira, New Genetics and Society"[T]houghtful . . . convincing. . . . Margaret Lock is an extremely sharp critic of the Alzheimer's scene."---W. F. Bynum, Times Literary Supplement"Comprehensive, cogent, and densely detailed, The Alzheimer Conundrum provides a useful antidote to media hype about 'silver bullets' that are 'just around the corner' and makes an important contribution to our understanding of an achingly tragic disease that touches virtually all of us."---Glenn Altschuler, Psychology Today"[A] diligent survey of research, literature, conferences, and interviews. . . . Lock proves that the science of the disease is just as compelling as poignant accounts from caregivers and those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Lock highlights just how much we don't know, from problems with Alzheimer's pathology, testing, and diagnosis to the search for a drug treatment. . . . While science plugs away at solving the Alzheimer's conundrum, Lock's call for improved care and social support takes on a new urgency." (Publishers Weekly)"The Alzheimer Conundrum is an engaging read that, while quite granular in its detail, is never dry. . . . Lock clearly summarizes, synthesizes, and critiques the results from research in molecular biology, genetics, neuroimaging, and epidemiology."---Jason Karlawish, Health Affairs Review "The Alzheimer Conundrum is a must-read for all who are interested in how society and researchers frame the investigation of Alzheimer's disease and its effects on the aging global population. Lock has woven the individual threads of the scientific discussion and debate about dementia into a magnificent tapestry, prompting us to question our assumptions and perceptions. A compelling book."―Carol Brayne, University of Cambridge"This book is an excellent treatment of the intricacies of Alzheimer's disease―what it is, what it isn't, what it might be―and deals with its genetic, diagnostic, and predictive uncertainties. In thoroughly exploring the current state of Alzheimer's, the book sheds light on what makes most diseases complex."―Kenneth Weiss, Pennsylvania State University"Bringing together an anthropology of predictive medicine with a social study of science, and discussing recent biological discoveries as well as crucial public health problems, The Alzheimer Conundrum offers an insightful approach to the uncertain boundaries between aging and dementia, and brilliantly revisits the philosophical theme of the normal and pathological. Evocatively written, it is a major contribution to the understanding of one of the most perplexing and tragic issues of our time."―Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Study"A riveting plunge into the genomics and neuroscientific epidemiology of this much-feared disease, Margaret Lock's The Alzheimer Conundrum convincingly shows why scientists are unlikely to untangle the causes of Alzheimer's disease anytime soon. This superb contribution to science studies exposes the existential dilemma we all confront: what will our globalized societies do to care for our rapidly aging populations?"―Rayna Rapp, New York University"The Alzheimer Conundrum is an eye-opening analysis of the tangles of diagnoses and treatments for Alzheimer's as they are experienced by clinicians, researchers, patients, and their families. Lock's nuanced exploration of the risk and uncertainty surrounding genetic knowledge about the brain brings the anthropology of medicine and science to an entirely new and unsurpassed level."―Emily Martin, author of Bipolar Expeditions See all Editorial Reviews