TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As Alzheimer\u2019s Awareness Month comes to an end, Florida State University researchers are continuing efforts to better understand the disease and shape the future of prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n
Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer\u2019s, and one in three seniors dies from Alzheimer\u2019s or another form of dementia, according to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer\u2019s Research Foundation. <\/p>\n
FSU researchers are examining the psychological and social factors that increase a person\u2019s risk for Alzheimer\u2019s, as well as what helps people stay resilient throughout the course of the disease. <\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Aaron Wilber says the long-term goal is to establish effective preventive care.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been thinking of this disease as one disease, and we haven\u2019t gotten very far in treating it that way,\u201d Wilber said. \u201cSo we\u2019re starting to back up a little bit and think of it as a set of diseases. One piece we\u2019ve focused on is the idea that sleep may be less deep very early in Alzheimer\u2019s, or even before it starts at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilber says improving sleep quality could help the brain clear waste more effectively and support functions believed to be impacted by Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you boost sleep and improve it, you can facilitate the ability of your brain to clear out the garbage it normally removes during sleep and prevent that garbage from accumulating, which may be what happens in Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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