We need effective treatments with benign side effects so we can catch the disease early — maybe even before people start showing symptoms — and slow it down. There appear to be multiple drivers of brain pathology, for example, where inflammation may contribute greater risk in some people than in others, which makes things more complex. Arnsten: One key recent breakthrough is a new blood biomarker that can detect the beginnings of tau pathology [accumulation of the tau protein in the brain], which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This signal of emerging pathology in the brain can be seen long before one can use PET imaging to see later stage tau pathology in the brain. In the past, Congress understood the importance of NIH-funded research to American strength; we hope that rational strategies can still prevail.