Phoenix friends,
YOUR GENES ≠ YOUR DESTINY
I think after last week's video on A+T+ (that admittedly could be a bit doomy-gloomy), this one comes right in time about how to build cognitive reserve and protective factors.
In this groundbreaking AAIC conference session, I analyze findings from 6 leading researchers that fundamentally change how APOE4 carriers should approach brain health:
✅ Many APOE4 carriers maintain stable memory across decades
✅ Education and midlife health create 8-year cognitive advantage
✅ Women preserve memory despite higher pathology burden
✅ Specific activity combinations achieve 83% protection accuracy
✅ Population-level proof that intervention works
ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS (more details in the video):
1. Midlife health (50-65) is the critical intervention window
2. Combine cognitive, social, leisure, and household activities
3. Education provides measurable neuroprotection
4. Cardiovascular health especially critical for APOE4 carriers
Most Newsletters? One-way street.
How boring…
This is the Phoenix Community after all—so let's make it a two-way street.
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I read every single one.
Credits: Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2025
Session Chair: Prashanthi Vemuri (Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, MN, USA)Roger A. Dixon (University of Alberta, AB, Canada)
Session Presenter: Roger A. Dixon (University of Alberta, AB, Canada) - Advancing Research on Diversity and Resilience in Aging and Dementia: Methodological Challenges and Roadmap Recommendations
Shireen Sindi (Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Sweden; The Ageing Epidemiology (AGE) Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) - The role of hormonal and reproductive events on cognitive aging in a cohort of female civil servants: The Whitehall II Study
Prashanthi Vemuri (Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, MN, USA) - Integrative Discussion: Clinical Importance and Applied Potential of including Diversity in Resilience Research
Elizabeth Muñoz (University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA) - Associations Between Early/Current Neighborhood Deprivation and Midlife Cognitive Functioning: Results from the Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging (CATSLife)Gillian Einstein (University of Toronto, ON, Canada) - The role of sex, gender, and SSDH in resilience research
Daniel Willie-Permor (Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA) - Social, Physical, and Cognitive Activity Patterns and Their Association with Tau and Amyloid Resistance and Resilience