It is hard to escape the grasp of Alzheimer’s disease—according to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in eight older Americans has the disease. Fifteen million more Americans provide unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  And Alzheimer’s disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

The Chicago Council on Science and Technology, together with the Children’s Hospital of Chicago Research Center, is pleased to present an evening of insight into Alzheimer’s disease with a program, “Aging and Alzheimer’s: Our Fragile Minds,” December 4.

The program will feature New York Times best-selling author Dr. Lisa Genova; M Marsel Mesulam, MD, Director of the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University, a National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s Disease research center; Monica Moreno, Director of early-stage initiatives for the Alzheimer’s Association; and Julie Schneider, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neuropathology at Rush Medical Center.

Genova, author of The New York Times best-selling novels Still Alice and Left Neglected, will discuss the effects of Alzheimer’s on the patients and their families, as well as the changes inside the brain. In her critically acclaimed novel Still Alice, Genova tells the story of a lesser known form of Alzheimer’s disease—the early-onset form, that affects people in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Genova takes the point of view of her protagonist, marrying science and compassion as 50-year-old Alice Howland unravels at the hands of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Genova holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She has done research on the molecular etiology of depression, Parkinson’s disease, drug addiction, and memory loss following stroke. She is a member of the Dementia Advocacy & Support Network International and DementiaUSA, and is an online columnist for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Featured panelist Dr. Mesulam, who has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement award by the Alzheimer’s Association, will discuss the latest scientific and research advances, prognosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s. Mesulam serves as Director of the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation, which provides patient care for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and all other forms of dementia, aphasia, memory disorders, neuropsychiatry of brain disorders, behavioral disorders of epilepsy, and cognitive changes of aging. He has been included in multiple lists of “America’Top Doctors” and “Chicago’s Best Doctors.”

Monica Moreno, representing the Alzheimer’s Association, has over fifteen years of experience working with people with dementia and their families. She will address questions regarding care, training and education for patient caregivers. The program will be moderated by Julie Schneider, MD. Schneider is an associate professor of neurology and neuropathology at Rush Medical Center. Scheider received her training at the University of Chicago and Emory University in Atlanta. Her research is focused on brain changes underlying the cognitive and motor changes associated with aging.

Alzheimer’s and Aging: Our Fragile Minds Lincoln Hall, Northwestern University Chicago Campus, 375 East Chicago Ave. Tuesday Dec. 4, 2012 Registration 4:30 pm-5:30 pm Presentation 5:30 pm–7:00 pm Reception + Book Signing 7:00 pm–7:30 pm.Discounted parkingwill be made available to the first 150 attendees at 222 E. Huron St.: Fees Apply: $10 C2ST Members, Children’s Hospital of Chicago Research Center staff, and Alzheimer’s Association Constituents; $15 Non-Members. Students are free. Visit www.c2st.org for more.