Dementia is a general term for memory loss and decline in mental ability that is severe enough to interfere with the activities of daily living.  Worldwide, a new case of dementia arises every 7 seconds and Alzheimer's disease is the most feared, accounting for 60% to 80% of cases.  In America, someone develops Alzheimer's disease every 71 seconds, with nearly 5.3 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's.  For those 55 years of age and older, 1 in 6 will develop some form of dementia, including Alzheimer's.  There are about 11 million people who are designated as primary caregivers.  64% of Alzheimer's caregivers die or get hospitalized before their loved ones.  
With statistics like these, we must race to find a cure.    
 
Did you know that:  
#1.  People's brains begin to shrink when they are in their thirties?  By the way, this doesn't mean you have Alzheimer's. 
#2.  An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan can evaluate the size and well-being of the anatomical features of your brain?
#3.  An EEG (electroencepahlograph) scan which measures electrical activity in the brain will be able to determine how well your memory is working?
#4.  Treatment can be initiated before extensive neuronal loss? 

In an article written by Paul Reaburn in "Discover Presents The Brain", Fall 2010 edition, lithium, a simple metal and oldest drug in psychiatry  may just be the wonder drug for curing mental illness, including Alzheimer's.  According to this article, "lithium has shown two remarkable powers in the brain of mentally ill:  protecting neurons from damage and death, and alleviating existing damage by spurring new nerve cell growth." 
Why then do we not have a pill of lithium that's prescribed for Alzheimer's patients?  We've heard of Aricept and Namenda, but where is Lithium?  Amazingly, it turns out that drug companies do not want to spend millions of dollars researching and investigating how to make lithium into an Alzheimer's drug because there's no profit in it.  No one owns a patent for lithium.  It is a very simple element and freely available to anyone.  So if Pfizer or Merck spent millions of dollars researching and proving lithium's effectiveness for treating Alzheimer's, anybody can turn around and sell it. 
So who will lead this research effort?  Sadly, it seems the drug companies will not.