Marin Science Seminar Presentation: "The Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: What you can do to reduce your risk" October 22, 2025, 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Linda HS Innovation Hub

(Previous talk: The Coming Dementia Epidemic: Is Alzheimer's Preventable? April 20, 2016.)

Dementia is a common disease that affects the brains of older adults. Over time, people with dementia loss the ability to perform even the most basic of daily activities -- such as getting dressed, eating, bathing and using the toilet -- without help. About 1 in 9 people over the age of 65 have dementia, and 1 in 3 over the age of 85. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. We are on the brink of a dementia epidemic, in which the number of people living with dementia in the U.S. is expected to rise from 5 million today to 13 million by 2050. There are no drugs that stop or even slow the progression of the disease. Despite these grim statistics, there is growing evidence that it may be possible to delay or even prevent dementia symptoms in some people. Dr. Barnes is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on identifying risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and dementia and testing strategies to lower risk and slow progression of symptoms. Her talk will focus on the coming dementia epidemic and whether it is preventable.

Deborah Barnes, PhD is a Professor at UCSF in the Department of Psychiatry and a Mental Health Research Investigator at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating strategies to maintain cognitive function and prevent or delay dementia onset in late life. Dr. Barnes also works on developing dementia risk prediction models that can be used to estimate the impact of risk factor reduction and to target prevention strategies toward those who are at greatest risk. Her PhD was completed at UC Berkeley.