Guest Post by Paul Brandus
Could you develop this disease at such an early age? Your family history could be telling, medical professionals say
Last week, I watched a movie called “Still Alice,” starring Julianne Moore. It was disturbing and heartbreaking to watch.
Based on a true story, Moore (who won an Academy Award for her performance) plays a razor-sharp Columbia University professor who, at the age of 50, begins to get confused about things — getting lost on campus, fumbling for words, introducing herself to people she introduced herself to 10 minutes before, and so forth.
Concerned, she consults a neurologist, who delivers a lightning bolt: Alice has a rare, early form of Alzheimer’s disease, and that it’s genetic, meaning her children are highly predisposed to being afflicted as well.