Neurofibrillary Tangles

"Hi. How are you doing?"  That's the standard conversation starter, followed by the knee jerk response, "Fine". No one expects a serious reply. My father response was "deteriorating", met by a chuckle or a blank stare. Although, if you think about it, that response is the universally accurate one once you hit 60 or so and the rate of decline increases as the years advance. (You peak at 30-35). The other day I was in the garden, on my knees, planting some hosta. On attempting to rise, had it not been for my trusty spade for a crutch, I might have been featured on one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" ads.

And the arthritis. I hesitate to change gears while biking as it causes the thumb to bark - waiting eagerly for telepathic gear shifting. I used to laugh at my wife's uncle George, whose neck arthritis so limited his range of motion that when he stopped at an intersection, he would open the driver-side door far enough so he could use the side mirror to check the traffic. My laughter is muted these days.

And the memory has had a few hiccups, particularly with names plus I'm a split second slow on the Jeopardy responses. So this is causing me some angst. Coincidentally, I have read 4 books recently where the theme was aging and/or Alzheimer's - not intentionally. I generally read whatever pops up as available on my library hold list. Of course, I did purposely place these books on hold but it's curious how these appeared in rapid succession. I'm not sure if it is significant but I'm wondering if it is a heads-up from God. Or perhaps subconsciously I am attempting to divine my future. That said, my life bar matches Montaigne's: "the only wish I hold for old age is a mind free from dementia."

The books:

Samantha Harvey's The Wilderness 

60 year old Jake slow decline into Alzheimer's. Jake is aware that his mind is unraveling as he struggles against "the inevitable dying of the light".

Rachel Khong's Goodbye, Vitamin

Explores themes of aging, family dysfunction, heartbreak, and memory. Devastating realities of Alzheimer's disease balanced with a dry, offbeat sense of humor and warmth.

Penelope Lively's Dancing Fish and Ammonites 

Unsentimental memoir, written when she was eighty years old. The book is a reflective "view from old age" on how memory, history, and a love of the written word shaped her life.

Garrison Keillor's Serenity at 70, Gaiety at 80

Keillor's self reflection as he approached his 80th birthday. An examination of the unexpected beauties, freedoms, and absurdities of old age.

And then.  A friend recommended Liz Moore's The Unseen World. I trust his book choices so no vetting and since it was immediately available for download on MESLA, dive right in.  And what do I find? A young girl, being raised and home-schooled by her brilliant computer science professor father who rapidly falls into early-onset Alzheimers leaving her an orphan.  #5. Spooky, no?

Alzheimer's Disease gets is name from Alois Alzheimer, a German neuropathologist in the late 19th century. In 1901, his patient Auguste Dieter, exhibited strange behavioral symptoms, including a loss of short-term memory, confusion, personality change. She became his obsession. Upon Auguste's death, Alois received her medical records and her brain. Using new scanning techniques, an examination of the brain revealed protein amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangles, identifiers of what is now known as Alzheimer's disease.  Seems like it should be called "Auguste's disease", since she's the one who suffered.

So I decided to take the AARP Alzheimer's quiz and .. ACED IT. PERFECT. GOAT.

'Dave remains in excellent health'. Dr. Sean Barbabella.

Keep munching those cruciferous vegetables.

Copyright © 2026  Dave Hoplin