It was a century ago when a german doctor, Alois Alzheimer, first identified the disease that would later come to bear his name. Originally, he thought the disease was a rarity, but a century later, more than 4.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. After a hundred years of research, many are disappointed that we haven't found a cure. But Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a professor of neurology at the University Center for Memory and Aging, says that a cure may still be a long way off.
Peter Whitehouse: There's a widespread misconception spread by those who think you can find simple answers to these problems, they think that it's one protein, one gene and that's there's one drug that we should all be sitting on the edge of our seats to find. I wish it were! In fact, I hope I'm wrong. But I don't believe that I am.
Whitehouse says the disease is very complex, and will continue to be a challenge for the next 100 years. He says doctors should focus just as much on how to care for Alzheimer's patients as they do on finding a cure. Elaine Falk, 90.3.