Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed.

Despite the amount of research that has been put towards Alzheimer’s disease, the cause of the disease is still poorly understood. It is believed that 70% of the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is believed to be genetic. There is currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the disease’s progression; however, there are some medications that can temporarily improve some of the symptoms.

Researchers are now trying to identify what might be the starting point for Alzheimer’s although they believe it is too early to fully confirm their research.

At the University of Southern California, researchers are looking toward the locus coeruleus, a small section of the brain stem that releases norepinephrine. This release of norepinephrine deals with regulating heart rate, attention, memory and cognition. This area on the brain stem may also help prevent Alzheimer symptoms by protecting neurons from inflammation that may contribute to the initiation of the onset of dementia.

Mara Mather, a professor of psychology and gerontology at University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, says that the locus coeruleus helps regulate the blood vessel activity in the brain which could make it more susceptible to the effect of toxins and infections in comparison to other regions of the brain.

Mather also says that the locus coeruleus is the first region in the brain where tau pathology shows up. Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the pathological aggregation of tau proteins. Alzheimer’s Disease is the best-known illness where these tau proteins show up. Tau protein is deposited within neurons in the form of neurofibrillary tangles.

Mather’s goes on to say that this isn’t entirely new research, however, what is new is that further research regarding the locus coeruleus could help explain what is called the "cognitive reserve effect."

The cognitive reserve effect is the theory that certain behaviors are linked to a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s. A study published in Neurology back in 2013 revealed that reading, writing and other mentally stimulating activities at every age helped stave off memory problems.

The idea behind this is that when we have a novel stimulus in the brain from reading a book, doing a crossword puzzle or even having a stimulating conversation, this stimulation activates the locus coeruleus, which causes it to produce norepinephrine. This release of norepinephrine helps boosts cognition and memory.

Prior research shows that tau proteins show up in the locus coeruleus and that the slow build-up of tau proteins over a lifetime can cause some people to develop Alzheimer’s. By activating the locus coeruleus more often, you’re giving your brain more protection from the tangles that are created by tau proteins. This means that although the risk of Alzheimer's is largely genetic, there are still lifestyle choices that can help prevent the onset of the disease.