HOUSTON – Jim Ray, Ph.D. is the director of research for the Neurodegeneration Consortium, which is taking on the task of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.
One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia and the health care cost for Alzheimer’s alone was $236 billion last year.
Ray discusses on this week’s "Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall" why there is no cure, how long it might take to find one and the impact other diseases might have on Alzheimer’s.
He was asked if a stroke might be a contributing factor. “Absolutely,” Ray said. “Vascular disease in the brain is the second major cause of dementia. There’s a lot of interest in whether or not there is disease in the blood vessels in your brain contributing to Alzheimer’s. A lot of people suspect that may be one of the causes or one of the reasons why you develop it.”
Ray talks about what families can do to cope with the stress of Alzheimer’s, how long it might take to begin to see positive results toward finding a cure for the disease and much more.
Of course there is much more information about what the Neurodegeneration Consortium does, how it’s funded, what warning signs there are about Alzheimer’s and much more on this weeks’ Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall airing Sunday morning at 10 a.m. right after Meet the Press.
"Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall," is Sunday at 10 a.m. right after "Meet the Press" on KPRC Channel 2.
• Jim Ray, Ph.D., director of Neurodegeneration Consortium, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 713-745-4700 www.neurodegeneration-consortium.org
• Curing Alzheimer’s Panel Discussion will be on June 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. It is free and will be located at the
Belmont Village Senior Living, 2929 W. Holcombe West University. The event is free, but call 713-592-9200 for reservation.