WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.000 Unless we do something to prevent it, 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.000 over the next 40 years we’re facing an epidemic 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:08.000 of neurologic diseases on a global scale. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.000 A cheery thought. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.000 On this map, every country that’s colored blue 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:19.000 has more than 20 percent of its population over the age of 65. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.000 This is the world we live in. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.000 And this is the world your children will live in. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:29.000 For 12,000 years, the distribution of ages in the human population 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:32.000 has looked like a pyramid, with the oldest on top. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000 It’s already flattening out. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:38.000 By 2050, it’s going to be a column and will start to invert. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.000 This is why it’s happening. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.000 The average lifespan’s more than doubled since 1840, 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.000 and it’s increasing currently at the rate of about five hours every day. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.000 And this is why that’s not entirely a good thing: 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.000 because over the age of 65, your risk of getting Alzheimer’s 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:00.000 or Parkinson’s disease will increase exponentially. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000 By 2050, there’ll be about 32 million people in the United States 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.000 over the age of 80, and unless we do something about it, 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:09.000 half of them will have Alzheimer’s disease 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.000 and three million more will have Parkinson’s disease. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.000 Right now, those and other neurologic diseases -- 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:18.000 for which we have no cure or prevention -- 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.000 cost about a third of a trillion dollars a year. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.000 It will be well over a trillion dollars by 2050. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.000 Alzheimer’s disease starts when a protein 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:28.000 that should be folded up properly 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 misfolds into a kind of demented origami. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.000 So one approach we’re taking is to try to design drugs 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:38.000 that function like molecular Scotch tape, 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.000 to hold the protein into its proper shape. 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.000 That would keep it from forming the tangles 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.000 that seem to kill large sections of the brain when they do. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.000 Interestingly enough, other neurologic diseases 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:52.000 which affect very different parts of the brain 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:55.000 also show tangles of misfolded protein, 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.000 which suggests that the approach might be a general one, 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:00.000 and might be used to cure many neurologic diseases, 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:02.000 not just Alzheimer’s disease. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.000 There’s also a fascinating connection to cancer here, 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.000 because people with neurologic diseases 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.000 have a very low incidence of most cancers. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.000 And this is a connection that most people aren’t pursuing right now, 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.000 but which we’re fascinated by. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.000 Most of the important and all of the creative work in this area 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.000 is being funded by private philanthropies. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.000 And there’s tremendous scope for additional private help here, 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:28.000 because the government has dropped the ball on much of this, I’m afraid. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.000 In the meantime, while we’re waiting for all these things to happen, 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:34.000 here’s what you can do for yourself. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.000 If you want to lower your risk of Parkinson’s disease, 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:41.000 caffeine is protective to some extent; nobody knows why. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:44.000 Head injuries are bad for you. They lead to Parkinson’s disease. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.000 And the Avian Flu is also not a good idea. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.000 As far as protecting yourself against Alzheimer’s disease, 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.000 well, it turns out that fish oil has the effect 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.000 of reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.000 You should also keep your blood pressure down, 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.000 because chronic high blood pressure 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:04.000 is the biggest single risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:07.000 It’s also the biggest risk factor for glaucoma, 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.000 which is just Alzheimer’s disease of the eye. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.000 And of course, when it comes to cognitive effects, 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.000 "use it or lose it" applies, 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.000 so you want to stay mentally stimulated. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.000 But hey, you’re listening to me. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:20.000 So you’ve got that covered. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.000 And one final thing. Wish people like me luck, okay? 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.000 Because the clock is ticking for all of us. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:29.000 Thank you.