The Pasqual Maragall Foundation has launched the campaign “The biggest lie about Alzheimer’s”, starring the actor and director Paco León, with the aim of raising €250,000 that will be allocated to the study for the detection of people at risk of Alzheimer's, Beta-AARC, an ongoing project of the Foundation's research center, the Barcelonaßeta Brain Research Center (BBRC).
Dr. Beta-AARC study (Beta Alzheimer at Risk Cohort), running since 2021, deepens the knowledge of the factors that influence the onset of the disease and the detection of biomarkers to identify people at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's before the first symptoms appear. Specifically, a new cohort is being analyzed that will include 200 participants between 55 and 80 years old who experience subjective impairment of memory or other cognitive abilities, such as attention, planning ability, and orientation.
According to the Dr. Oriol Grau, researcher and head of the Clinical Research and Risk Factors Group of the BBRC, group in charge of the Beta-AARC study: “Thanks to the latest advances in early detection and prevention of Alzheimer's, it is now possible to detect the increased risk of developing the disease years before the first clinical symptoms appear. With this study we want to find those signs that allow us to detect whether this person has a higher or lower risk of suffering from the disease long before the brain damage is irreversible, and that this allows us to propose effective preventive and therapeutic actions.”.
The objective of the campaign is disprove that Alzheimer's is invincible, and it is from this myth that the actor and director, Paco León, explains how throughout his professional career he has had to deny published statements, such as his own death.
Through this analogy, and as a guiding thread, the initiative also demystifies other claims related to the disease, such as the relationship between the disease and genetics, risk factors or treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer's. It also takes the opportunity to claim the importance of investing in research.
More information on the website: www.lamentiramasgrande.org
