Clearing amyloid modestly slowed early Alzheimer’s
What they found. In a clinical trial, 1,795 people with early Alzheimer’s disease (mild memory problems or mild dementia, with amyloid confirmed in the brain) received lecanemab — an antibody that helps clear amyloid — or a placebo every two weeks for 18 months. On a standard scale of memory, thinking and daily function, people on lecanemab declined about 27% more slowly.
Why it matters. Published in 2023, it was among the first trials to show that clearing amyloid can modestly slow the disease itself — groundwork for the treatments in use today.
What it means for you. Lecanemab slows decline; it does not stop or reverse it. About one in eight participants had brain swelling on scans, usually without symptoms, so careful monitoring is required. It is only for early-stage disease, and it is a decision to make with a specialist.
van Dyck CH, et al. (2023). Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 388(1), 9–21. Read the original study →
The song that stays
Many caregivers notice that a song can reach a person when words no longer do. A melody from a wedding, a hymn from childhood, a tune once hummed while cooking. Memory may grow quiet in some rooms of the mind, while others stay lit for a long time.
If you care for someone, try the music of their twenties. Sing badly. Sing together. You are not testing their memory; you are keeping them company inside it.
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