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Could we be more present for our loved ones?

Let’s discover what’s possible together.

Memory loss can happen to anyone, including ourselves or the people we love. But it may be possible to get ahead of memory loss and participating in clinical research may help us get there.
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About Memory Loss & Alzheimer’s Disease

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin with a small but noticeable decline in cognitive skills. Memory loss is one symptom, but the early stages also involve problems with thinking ability, behavior, and mood.
  • Brain changes from Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia, may begin 20 years or more before symptoms arise.
  • Up to 20 out of every 100 people aged 65 or older have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a possible indicator of the beginning of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Up to 15 out of every 100 people with MCI go on to develop dementia each year.
  • The risk factors strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease are getting older, family history of Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and conditions that raise risk for cardiovascular disease.

Source: Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org)

Want to talk to your doctor about Alzheimer’s disease clinical research?

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How Alzheimer’s Disease Transforms the Brain

First, to understand how the brain changes when Alzheimer’s disease enters the picture, let’s talk about neurons. Billions of them.
Astrocytes and Microglia Beta-Amyloid and Tau
Astrocytes and Microglia Beta-Amyloid and Tau Neurons Hippocampus
Neurons Hippocampus
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Sources:
1 https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/your-amazing-brain
2 https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
3 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/1817720#
4 https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease

The causes and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are not yet fully understood.

Clinical research studies like these are committed to finding the answers.

Let’s discover what’s possible together.

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You are now leaving lillyADresearch.com and being redirected to a website that is not operated by Clinical Trial Media, Inc. Please be aware, Clinical Trial Media, Inc. is not responsible for the content or availability of this website and its privacy and security policies may differ from those on this website.
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Neurons

See how you’re staring at this image? When we stare, shout, walk, or remember, it’s the result of signals passing through the 100 billion nerve cells in our brain called neurons.

Electrical charges help these neurons talk to each other. These charges can generate enough electricity to power a low-wattage bulb!1 The combination of these electrical and chemical signals is responsible for the actions mentioned above.
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Hippocampus

As neurons die, the brain shrinks. The damage often starts in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory.2 The more neurons die, the less a person with Alzheimer’s disease is able to think, remember, make decisions, or function independently.4

Clinical research studies are exploring ways to stop or slow down the appearance of memory and thinking problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease. If you or a loved one is affected, there may be options through clinical research.
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Beta-Amyloid and Tau

Research suggests that two proteins are involved in driving changes to the brain due to Alzheimer’s disease: beta-amyloid and tau.3 For reasons still unknown, these proteins become toxic and cause problems in the brain.
  • Beta-amyloid clumps together to form plaque. These amyloid plaques build up between neurons.
  • Tau accumulates inside neurons and eventually forms tangles.
As amyloid plaque builds up, tau spreads rapidly through the brain. It’s too much for astrocytes and microglia to deal with. Because microglia are no longer able to keep up with clearing debris and astrocytes become stressed, chronic inflammation occurs within the brain.4

Eventually, neurons can no longer communicate, and they die.
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Sources

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424456/

2 https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wof-files/World_Obesity_Atlas_2023_Report.pdf

3 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)

4 https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/what-is-heart-failure

5 https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/risk-factors/index.html

6 https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea

7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4561280/

8 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37202064/

9 https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/osteoarthritis.htm

10 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.42089

11 https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/role-of-body-weight-in-osteoarthritis/

12 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes

13 https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risk-factors/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/risk-factors.html 

14 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874486 

Astrocytes and Microglia

Keeping the neurons healthy is important to do things like move or remember things. This is where astrocytes and microglia come in. These are cells in the brain that clear away debris and protect neurons from physical or chemical damage.

Alzheimer’s disease disrupts the balance that keeps neurons healthy. This may happen a decade or more before a person starts to show symptoms.2
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These goals guide Lilly’s work:

Create a Robust Clinical Research Study Strategy and Reach Diverse Populations

Our teams aim for each study’s participants to match the composition of the patient population that might use that study’s medicine if it’s approved. Across research studies globally, we identify and address barriers that keep underrepresented populations from participating.

Intentionally Select a Diverse Range of Sites and Investigators

We aim to recruit more research study investigators and external advisors who represent women and racial/ethnic minority populations, with the ultimate goal of having our investigators and advisors match the composition of the patient population in terms of gender and race/ethnicity.

Increase Diverse Representation through Partnerships and Collaborations

We collaborate with patients, patient advocacy groups, regulatory agencies, healthcare professionals, and community organizations to identify and implement solutions that will result in diverse representation, improve health equity, and generate evidence to support better patient results.
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