'My Generation's Biggest Alzheimer's Advocate': Seth Rogen

Richard S. Isaacson, MD: Hi. I'm Dr Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. I'm here with my colleague, "Professor" Seth Rogen. Thanks so much for being here today.

Professor Rogen is probably my generation's biggest Alzheimer's advocate. From testifying to Congress on behalf of additional funds for Alzheimer's research, to raising awareness through your charity Hilarity for Charity, you have done a great amount for our field. We really appreciate all that you have done.

We are trying to educate doctors, the public, and healthcare providers in all specialties that we can grab the bull by the horns and provide better care and reduce risk for our patients today. What have you learned about risk reduction and Alzheimer's prevention? Why do you think doctors need to take this seriously?

Seth Rogen: I've learned a lot about it and I've learned that the previous generation was failed. We now have information [to suggest] that 30 years before any symptoms are showing is when you should be taking actions against hopefully ever getting those symptoms. It's just not a culturally prevalent conversation. People know that if they don't smoke cigarettes, they will be less likely to get lung cancer, but they don't know that if they live their life in this way, they will be less likely to get Alzheimer's. That is something that people should know.

Isaacson: I really appreciate you helping us spread this message. There is no one magic pill or magic potion to prevent or cure Alzheimer's, but with incremental changes over time, evidence [for prevention] is building. Efforts such as yours will really make a huge impact. If there is a doctor watching this, what would you want to tell them about why you think it's important for them to do something today?

Rogen: Today, people who are living with Alzheimer's in their life in some way probably feel very hopeless. People desperately want to learn that there are ways that it could maybe be prevented, and that progression may be slowed due to lifestyle choices.

Isaacson: Absolutely. For physicians and other healthcare providers, if you want to learn more, go to AlzU.org and take a free course that is specifically created with you in mind. Thanks to Hilarity for Charity for helping fund this course. If you want to learn more about it, our group has published a new article^[1] in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. Check that out. It's a roadmap forward on evidence-based and safe approaches toward reducing risk for Alzheimer's. Seth, thanks so much.

Rogen: Thank you.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Richard S. Isaacson. 'My Generation's Biggest Alzheimer's Advocate': Seth Rogen - Medscape - Nov 26, 2018.

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