(Credit: Eli Lilly and Company)

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that among Black Americans age 70 and older, more than 21% are living with that disease. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is launching a clinical trial of a new drug therapy for those at risk, and they’re looking for participants in Chicago.

High school students run at sunset as they practice for the track and field season Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Shawnee, Kan. (AP Photo / Charlie Riedel, File)

New research hints that even a simple exercise routine just might help older Americans with mild memory problems.

(Rachel Nelson / Pixabay)

“It is much healthier to get more of that light in the morning than in the evening,” said Dr. Sabra Abbott, a sleep medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine.

In this 2019 photo provided by Biogen, a researcher works on the development of the medication aducanumab in Cambridge, Mass. (Biogen via AP)

Plus: “Chicago Tonight” gets into the controversy behind the drug’s approval

The Food and Drug Administration said it granted approval to the drug from Biogen based on results that seemed “reasonably likely” to benefit Alzheimer’s patients. It’s the only drug that U.S. regulators have said can likely treat the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.

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The Illinois Senate is scheduled to take up a bill next week to make daylight saving time permanent. And it’s not just politicians who want to beat the clock. A local sleep expert sounds the alarm on why we should end the seasonal time shift.

(Rachel Nelson / Pixabay)

As clocks tick toward the end of daylight saving time, many sleep scientists and circadian biologists are pushing for a permanent ban because of potential ill effects on human health.

Wilmette resident Bill Bucklew, right, ran in the Berlin marathon on Sept. 29. Bucklew, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 43, will run in the Chicago marathon on Sunday, Oct. 13. (Courtesy of Bill Bucklew)

The Oct. 13 race is just one of six marathons Bill Bucklew is running in single a year to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease. The 49-year-old was diagnosed with the progressive neurological disorder seven years ago. 

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If you wake up in the middle of the night and start browsing social media or turn on the TV, you might have difficulty falling back asleep or feel groggy later on, but your sleep-wake cycle should remain intact, according to a new Northwestern University study.

In this Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 file photo, an elderly couple walks past the Berlaymont building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels. (AP Photo / Francisco Seco, File)

People with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia versus those with low genetic risk and good habits, researchers reported Sunday. 

(Courtesy Northwestern University)

Neil Shubin, University of Chicago paleontologist and one of our favorite explainers of all things scientific, joins us to discuss stories making news in the world of science.

If you want to save your brain, focus on keeping the rest of your body well with exercise and healthy habits rather than popping vitamin pills, new guidelines for preventing dementia advise.

In this April 29, 2019 photo provided by the University of Kentucky, Dr. Peter T. Nelson inspects a section of brain in the neuropathology lab at the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging in Lexington, Kentucky (Mark Cornelison / University of Kentucky via AP)

Some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it’s critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart.

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New research suggests seniors who aren’t on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer’s disease.

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New imaging techniques will allow researchers to study small changes in the retina that could indicate the early stages of brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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Northwestern University is one of dozens of medical centers across the country studying whether the drug can protect against or slow down the progression of the disease in patients already experiencing symptoms.

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There is no definitive test to diagnosis the progressive neurodegenerative disease. But that could change, thanks to new research that was able to accurately detect ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases using graphene.