"Do you think our love can make miracles?" -Allie (The Notebook)

Alzheimer's disease is a very real and painful illness that usually shows signs around the age of 65. In my case, this topic hits close to home as my aunt suffered from it and passed away at the age 62; she had what is called famile Alzheimer's in which it develops between the age of 30-60. While there has been much debate about the "cure" for Alzheimer's it doesn't look like we will find it soon; I recently watched the Rise of the Planet of the Apes where James Franco's character tries out an experimental drug out on his father with Alzheimer's and he is seemingly better for a couple of months before his body became immune to the compounds--funny how movies can do the "impossible".

First of all, I think this is a great blog and I couldn't help but read it when I saw the title. Alzheimer's is a disease that is too common in my opinion. Almost everyone now days is affected in some way, whether it be family or friend's family, by the disease. My grandmother has it and I know how amazing I would think it is if someone could find a cure or anything to make the disease less tragic. Someday I hope there is a cure.

Personally, this is one of my favorite movies! It is very sad though how severely Alzheimer's affects our brain and our memories. It is tragic to think that this could happen to anyone and isn't curable.

I absolutely love this movie. I think dementia is a horrible disease because in my mind memory and looking back on it is what makes a human experience. Without memory, there's no learning and reflecting and our interactions with others are less special. This movie is interesting because it contrasts noah's superb memory with Allie's failing one.

First of all, props to you for relating psychology to one of the greatest "chick flicks" of all time! On a different note, dementia is truly tragic-- to me, memories are our greatest gifts. People can lose EVERYTHING, but no one can take away their thoughts and memories. I say "no one," but not "nothing." Diseases, such as Alzheimers, are able of committing this atrocity. This only goes to show the potential horrors of biology gone awry. Hopefully all the research in this area will pay off.

"Do you think love can make miracles?"-good question. I am optimistic of miracles and making the impossible happen; I wonder if Alzheimer's would normally permit a brief period of insight into the lost abilities. From what I understand a key characteristic of Alzheimer's is that nerve cells lose their strength and diminish, would it be miraculous that these pathways would momentarily relapse? Maybe like bach008 said, our memories are held in a part of the brain that is essentially "untouchable" so if enough emotion is triggered (like that in love) we could regain old memories for a time.

Great Notebook reference. That's a good example because I think the movie really captured the devastation that takes place in an individual with Alzheimers spouse.