Alzheimer’s disease is a common form of dementia that leads to devastating cognitive and neurological deficits. However, despite affecting an estimated 6.2 million adults in the US alone in 2021, its causes are poorly understood and no effective treatments exist to halt or reverse the neuron death caused by the disease. How the disease starts — and what happens in single cells across the brain as the disease progresses — is similarly unknown. Research at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and elsewhere on the types of cells that make up the human brain has applications for understanding what is happening in Alzheimer’s.

At this webinar, learn about the challenges physicians face in treating Alzheimer’s disease, what happens to the brain in patients with this disease, and current research on cell types in healthy and diseased human brains.

This free webinar is geared towards members of the general public who are interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease, cell types in neuroscience, and current research in both areas. The presenters will not assume any prior knowledge of the neuroscience of Alzheimer’s or cell types. This event is also suitable for students at the high school level and above.

This webinar is presented by members of the Alzheimer’s center at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, an NIH-supported collaboration between the Allen Institute for Brain Science, University of Washington Medicine, and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Group. Its goal is to apply the methods and understanding of cell types developed in part at the Allen Institute for Brain Science to Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in the early stages of the disease and to identifying potential therapy targets.

Brain Awareness Week, sponsored by the Dana Foundation, is a worldwide campaign to develop public awareness, knowledge, and enthusiasm about the brain and neuroscience. Learn more at brainawareness.org.