We scientists have increasingly learnt how failures of executive function are apparent in those recovering from strokes, cardiac arrests and brain injuries. But perhaps most fascinating are the emerging links between deteriorating executive function and Alzheimer’s disease. Impairments in working memory, for instance, have been reported in the earliest stages of the disease. As with my female patient with the wandering hands, the loss of inhibitory control – or willpower – is another failure of executive function. It also increases the levels of several brain chemicals including dopamine and acetylcholine, which may affect mood, energy levels and executive function.