June/July 2026 Vol 25.3Dr. David Perlmutter: New Steps to Targeting Brain Health and Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Sheldon Baker, David Perlmutter MD, FACN, ABIHM
Abstract:
Integrative Medicine: A Clinicians Journal (IMCJ): In your new book Brain Defenders, you argue that we've been targeting the wrong thing in Alzheimer's disease.
David Perlmutter, MD: For sure.
IMCJ: What is the core fallacy behind the amyloid based treatment model?
Dr. Perlmutter: I think that it's quite obvious that the model gained so much traction in the late 1980s because there was this need, I believe, to find a single cause. Alzheimer's is not a disease characterized by a single cause or single event. There are multiple issues that lead to a good brain going bad. And I feel to be fair, the reason there's always been emphasis on looking for single cause, is it lends itself then to what's called monotherapy. If we could identify a single cause related to Alzheimer's disease then we might target a therapy at that single cause and next thing you know we have a blockbuster. The amyloid hypothesis was really based on flawed and doctored research. That is what's public knowledge now. Ultimately, the therapies that were an outgrowth of that hypothesis haven't worked. The idea that we could rid the brain of beta amyloid using monoclonal antibodies has been proven to be true. And yet, the effect on the disease course is almost none whatsoever in the face of potential death from the medications, or at least a significant risk of developing a potentially threatening side effect like ARIA which is amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. It basically means developing changes on your MRI scan that are either indicative of brain hemorrhages or areas of swelling.
