Race against Dementia in the Press

The first drugs to slow Alzheimer’s progression have been making headlines around the world. For researchers in the field, the arrival of these two therapies called Lecanemab and Donanemab is testament to decades of advancements in the field of Alzheimer’s research because for the first time they go further than modifying the symptoms and have been shown in trials to slow down cognitive decline.

British scientists are about to launch a remarkable research project that will demonstrate how the air we breathe can affect our brains. This work will be vital, they say, in understanding a major medical problem: how atmospheric pollution can trigger dementia.

Race Against Dementia which was founded by Sir Jackie has provided grants totalling £4.2 million to six research teams across the country, along with Rosetrees Trust UK charity.

Throughout the three-month campaign, which ended on January 31, readers donated a total of £527,401.11.

On the annual charity phone-in day, readers were given the opportunity to chat with Telegraph columnists including Bryony Gordon, Allison Pearson, Richard Madeley and Michael Deacon.

When his father’s mental health deteriorated, Allan Burns and his family took to the track to raise money for Race Against Dementia

An inherited genetic mutation that causes dementia has taken the lives of many of Jo Harrigan’s family – she’s determined to break the cycle.

From the age of 25, when her “loving and gregarious” mother Sylvia was diagnosed with a rare form of inherited early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 53, Jo Harrigan has been living with what she describes as a “death sentence”.

The challenges of looking after a loved one with dementia are overwhelming. While the search for a cure is vital, so is support for carers.

The first signs of dementia can be easily missed. After all, changes can be subtle, says Julie Holder, a community hospitals mental health liaison nurse who has been working with dementia patients for 20 years. She gives an example of a retired patient who may have always worn a shirt and a tie but now can’t work out how to put it on.

Cells which serve as Jedi knights inside the brain — the guardians of grey matter — turn to the dark side in dementia.

In Alzheimer’s disease, the multi-pronged microglia stop clearing-up problems to protect neurons, and start firing-out damaging molecules instead.

Phil Williams is one of the 7,000 people in the UK suffering from Huntington’s disease.

The new hoover has left Phil Williams in a muddle. A few years ago he did most of the housework, but this new machine is beyond him. Even if he could figure out the buttons, his hands won’t do what his brain tells them. Sometimes he can’t see what needs hoovering in front of him.

The F1 legend is racing to find a cure for his wife’s disease. He explains why he gets his determination from the race track.

An early-onset dementia diagnosis could have broken this couple, but instead it has brought them closer than ever.