I’ve been using Relay since 2013, before the official app existed. It is better than the official app in every way: it’s UI is cleaner, it’s quicker, it’s easier to follow comment threads and sort them, etc. Not to mention that there are no “sponsored” posts (ads) and banner apps every other post or comment…

How is the first party app better, exactly?

I understand that you don’t. But some of us do not mind these things and/or want them. Perhaps there is a compromise: an optional global ID if you opt in to the system?

All of the forums I’ve used didn’t focus on a single topic or subject. It was usually made up of people sharing a general interest, but there were always boards within each forum for either general discussion or more focused discussion on a particular topic like movies, games, art, philosophy, etc

What about the users of the third party apps?

The trajectory of aducaumab was unfortunate as it only marginally failed the clinical trials, but fortunate in that its successor lecanumab is less associated with negative side effects (particularly ARIA or “brain bleed”) but is just as (if not more) effective.

There was also some controversy in the rush for approval for aducanumab, which was done mainly to ensure that people at risk for Alzheimer’s could get treatment before they progressed and became ineligible. Of course, this also rubbed some people the wrong way as it probably should have gone through more trials before its approval. Lecanumab did not go through this same “rushed” approval process.

You can test for amyloid, yes. The most common method is a PET scan using a tracer (ingestible marker) that sticks to amyloid and “lights up” in the scan. However there are new blood tests that works fairly well, and are getting better (but from personal experience are not as accurate as a PET scan).

You would get a prescription if you meet the criteria. First, you would need to have abnormally high amyloid levels but without any other signs or symptoms of Alzheimer’s (like cognitive impairment). This is because this drug targets only the first stage (amyloid), but not any progressive stage. You would also need to meet some other criteria to determine that you are both eligible and a good candidate for it to work (e.g. no history of strokes or other brain injury). The drug is also at the moment not covered by any insurance, so you would be paying quite a bit, however this will likely change in the near future.

Lecanemab is a drug that targets amyloid, a protein associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and develops years (if not decades) before symptoms of the disease develop. This new drug reduces amyloid in the brain, and studies show that this directly reduces the chance of going on to develop the disease. Its approval is incredibly important for our ability to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Please note that this drug cannot reverse or cure Alzheimer’s disease. It is a preventative only. Once dementia develops, that means brain damage has already occurred, and you can’t reverse brain damage.

You’d be correct! The new anti-amyloid drugs are very exciting, and it makes my work on preclinical Alzheimer’s even more fulfilling as it can have a real impact on getting people tested and treated as early as possible.

I’m a research professor of neurology, and my research focuses on developing novel cognitive assessments for measuring early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.