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Now is the Moment to Stop Alzheimer's Disease
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About Alzheimer's Disease
Learn about what Alzheimer's disease is, its symptoms & risk factors, treatment options and how to live with or care for someone with the disease.
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I have a problem with the number 15. That is, if I'm counting in my head, I hesitate when I get to 14, and question what the next number should be. However, I noticed that I do not have a problem if I verbalize the numbers; all the numbers flow the same. That kind of makes sense because I'm bringing in the auditory cortex to help resolve the next number. Why am I having this issue with just the number 15? I doubt there's a "number fifteen neuron." My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease somewhere between the ages of 82 to 85. Could my “missing 15” be the start of this brain disease? I'll be 65 on my next birthday. [ 05/22/13 ]

This is a truly baffling question, for which I can find no answer.  I have the same experience with recalling the name of a specific actor, so I hope for your sake and mine that this temporary and circumscribed amnesia is a fluke rather than a warning of more serious illness! In all seriousness, I do not think it likely that this experience is a harbinger of cognitive decline.


Last Review: 04/29/13

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