ARIA Risk, APOE4 and Alzheimer’s Treatment Explained
When I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and learned that APOE could affect my risk of ARIA, I realized I didn't understand the difference between a gene, an allele, and a protein. This is the story of what I learned; what ARIA is; how to understand an APOE genetic blood test, what the risks are and how the risk is monitored.
Leqembi and p-tau217: A Blood Test Offers a New Window Into Alzheimer’s
A personal look at what happened to my p-tau217 blood levels after starting Leqembi, and how new research suggests that changes in this Alzheimer’s biomarker may provide an early indication of how patients are responding to treatment.
LEQEMBI IQLIK®(lecanemab-irmb) Autoinjector for Initiation of Therapy Now Available in the U.S. for Early Alzheimer's Disease
LEQEMBI IQLIK, the lecanemab autoinjector, is now available in the U.S. for initiation of treatment in people with early Alzheimer’s disease. This breakthrough adds a more convenient at-home option to the growing range of Alzheimer’s treatment choices and represents another important step forward in the fight against this devastating disease.
Tau PET Scans in Alzheimer’s
Tau PET is becoming an important new window into Alzheimer’s disease. With the August 2026 FDA approval of Tauklarify, clinicians now have two FDA-approved tau PET tracers—Tauvid and Tauklarify. Unlike amyloid testing, which helps identify whether Alzheimer’s biology is present, tau PET can show where aggregated tau has accumulated and how extensively it has spread. This high-level guide explains what tau PET adds, how the two tracers differ, and why tau imaging may become increasingly important for understanding disease stage and progression.
How Leqembi and Kisunla Fight Alzheimer's in Different Ways
A diagnosis of Alzheimer's no longer means there are no treatment options. Two FDA-approved drugs, Leqembi and Kisunla, can slow the disease for people diagnosed early, but they work differently. Understanding how beta-amyloid changes from harmless protein fragments into toxic oligomers, protofibrils, plaques, and eventually tau tangles can help patients and families make more informed treatment decisions.
Leqembi Does Much More Than Remove Plaque
Most people think Leqembi simply removes amyloid plaque. The science tells a much bigger story. Researchers now believe tiny beta-amyloid oligomers begin damaging synapses and disrupting the brain's glutamate-GABA balance years before plaques appear. Understanding how Leqembi targets these toxic proteins changed the way I think about Alzheimer's disease, and why early treatment matters.