If you are an Alzheimer’s researcher and you want to focus on how a person’s brain might be affected over time by specific behaviors, you should conduct a longitudinal study of a group of relatively similar individuals to see if you can find specific markers that may trigger or indicate the appearance of disease. One of the first longitudinal studies of Alzheimer’s is the Nun Study, which began in 1986 and is on-going. The Nun Study followed 678 Catholic sisters 75 to 107 yea

“It’s my birthday,” I told Mom. “It is?” she asked. “Why didn’t you tell me? How old are you?” When I told her I was turning 50, she didn’t believe me. “It’s my birthday today,” I told Mom a short while later. “It’s my birthday, too,” she said. “Hey, that’s great,” I replied. “We can celebrate together!” “It’s not your birthday!” Daddy interjected. Mom was instantly puzzled. “It’s not?” “That’s ok,” I said. “We can still celebrate together.” There it was again, that tension b