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Summary of Transcript:
In the Drive podcast, host Peter Attia interviews Amanda Smith, a geriatric psychiatrist, about her path to specializing in geriatrics and the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on patients and families. Smith talks about how her passion for working with older adults started when she was in medical school and saw how quickly people are to brush off the elderly. She also discusses the behavioral component of Alzheimer’s disease and how it can be treated, and how patients may sometimes be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia or other forms of psychosis before being correctly diagnosed with dementia. In the early stages of dementia, patients may experience unnerving symptoms, but later on, they may seem removed from what’s happening to them and not suffer as much.
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Summary of Description:
Geriatric psychiatrist Amanda Grant Smith discusses her expertise in treating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in this podcast episode. She provides insight into how to recognize, define, and diagnose dementia, including the significance of the ApoE genotype and the differences between Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. They also discuss the current state of clinical trials and drug development for dementia, including a promising monoclonal antibody treatment. They reflect on the meaning of “healthy aging” and how understanding dementia can shape one’s life philosophy. The Peter Attia Drive podcast focuses on health, longevity, critical thinking, and related topics.
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Understanding Dementia: An Ultra-Deep-Dive with Amanda Grant Smith
As we age, our bodies and minds undergo several changes that can affect our quality of life. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are among the most common conditions that affect our mental well-being as we grow old. In this episode of The Peter Attia Drive podcast, Peter speaks to geriatric psychiatrist Amanda Grant Smith to explore the various aspects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
How Amanda developed a passion for geriatric psychiatry
Amanda shares how her passion for geriatric psychiatry developed over the years due to her experiences working with patients diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. She explains the importance of geriatric psychiatrists in providing emotional and mental support to patients, their families, and caregivers.
Defining and diagnosing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
The process of recognizing, defining, and diagnosing dementia remains elusive for most people. Amanda breaks down the criteria for diagnosing the disease and the medical tests available for diagnosis. She also discusses how the pathology of dementia and the role of tau and beta-amyloid protein relate to Alzheimer’s disease.
Differentiating Alzheimer’s disease from Lewy body dementia
Amanda and Peter discuss the differences between Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia and the significance of ApoE genotype. They also talk about the evolution of Alzheimer’s disease prevention, care, and medications over the last 20 years.
The promise of monoclonal antibody treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
The discussion shifts to clinical trials, the drug pipeline, and a very promising monoclonal antibody directed at amyloid beta that has the potential to be a disease-modifying drug. Amanda and Peter also reflect on how understanding dementia can shape one’s life philosophy and redefine “healthy aging.”
Wrap-up
This episode of The Peter Attia Drive is an ultra-deep-dive discussion that provides a comprehensive overview of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Amanda Grant Smith’s wealth of experience and knowledge on the subject makes this episode insightful and informative. If you want to learn more about maximizing health, longevity, and critical thinking, this podcast is a must-listen.
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Source Description
Amanda Grant Smith is a geriatric psychiatrist with decades of experience treating patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode, Amanda shares how she developed a passion for geriatric psychiatry as a means to support dementia patients. She explains how to recognize, define, and diagnose dementia—a process that still remains somewhat elusive. They also talk about the significance of ApoE genotype and compare the various forms of dementia including differentiating between Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. They discuss the current landscape of clinical trials, the drug pipeline, and talk about a very promising monoclonal antibody directed at amyloid beta that has the potential to be a disease-modifying drug. They conclude with a discussion about how to define “healthy aging” and reflect on how understanding dementia can shape one’s life philosophy.
We discuss:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:00:10 – How Amanda developed a passion for geriatric psychiatry;
00:11:17 – Defining and diagnosing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease;
00:21:28 – Medical tests for dementia and their relationship to clinical symptoms;
00:32:50 – The pathology of dementia, and the role of the tau and beta-amyloid protein in Alzheimer’s disease;
00:44:10 – The significance of ApoE genotype, and differentiating Alzheimer’s disease from Lewy body dementia;
00:54:44 – The evolution of Alzheimer’s disease prevention, care, and medications over the last 20 years;
01:06:14 – Psychiatric support for dementia patients (and caregivers) with depression and anxiety;
01:19:03 – Drug pipeline, clinical trials, and major challenges to overcome;
01:29:15 – Redefining Alzheimer’s disease and designing effective trials;
01:41:21 – The promise of monoclonal antibody treatments for Alzheimer’s disease;
01:50:47 – How we should measure outcomes in dementia trials and define “healthy aging”;
02:02:45 – How understanding dementia can reshape our life philosophy;
Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/amandasmith/
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About:
The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more.
Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life).
Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com
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