[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

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                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 29, 2008

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the important research it is 
doing. The federal government's investment in NIH research regularly 
pays tremendous dividends to the American taxpayer. Federal funding 
supports NIH--to conduct biomedical research at its Maryland campus as 
well as research conducted at hundreds of medical centers, independent 
research laboratories, and colleges and universities across the 
country. Today, I would like to highlight research being done at NIH to 
alleviate the economic and personal suffering caused by Alzheimer's 
disease.
  Alzheimer's disease, one of the most frightening memory-robbing 
disorders, interferes with the lives of 2.5 to 5 million older 
Americans, including over 200,000 people under the age of 65. 
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease may have trouble recalling 
addresses, major events, and the names of their own family members. 
Making meals and managing finances can become difficult. Over time, 
problems with memory and thinking get even worse. Alzheimer's disease 
costs the United States almost $150 billion in medical care and lost 
productivity each year. With an aging population, this number will 
continue to grow larger and larger. By the year 2030, Alzheimer's 
disease is predicted to affect 7.7 million people in the United States 
over the age of 65. By 2015, Medicare costs for beneficiaries with 
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are expected to more than 
double from $91 billion in 2005 to $189 billion.
  Fortunately, research funded by the NIH has helped generate new 
treatments that can aid memory loss. Studies determined that a brain 
afflicted with Alzheimer's disease contains decreased levels of 
acetylcholine, a chemical that aids in memory and thought. Based on 
this finding, researchers developed several medications now available, 
termed cholinesterase inhibitors, which attempt to maintain normal 
levels of acetylcholine and can aid memory, thinking, and functional 
abilities in some people with Alzheimer's disease. While the effects of 
these drugs tend to be fairly short-lived and they do not stop the 
progression of the disease, they can be very helpful to some patients 
with Alzheimer's disease.
  Moreover, great progress has been made in understanding the brain 
abnormalities that underlie Alzheimer's disease, thanks to research 
involving genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology. Researchers are on 
the threshold of developing new treatments that target these flaws in 
an effort to preserve brain circuits and help maintain memory function 
in patients with Alzheimer's disease. New drugs are being developed 
that target different biological pathways, which, following years of 
basic science research, have also been implicated in memory. With 
continued study, scientists believe a variety of improved treatments 
will be able to aid more people with memory impairments for longer 
periods of time and perhaps prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease or 
slow its progression.
  We have so much more to learn about the brain, and NIH-funded 
researchers nationwide, including in my own state of Idaho, are working 
to understand how it functions and to identify potential new therapies 
and treatments. That national research commitment gives the millions of 
people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and the millions more who 
care for them, hope that treatments for this devastating disease are on 
the horizon.

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