Alzheimer's Disease script

For more information regarding this feature, contact Susan Griffith by sending e-mail to sbg4@po.cwru.edu or by calling 1-800-368-CWRU.

ALZHEIMER'S GENDER DIFFERENCE (TRT 1:46)

ANCHOR LEAD: A CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY STUDY HAS FOUND THAT AMONG ELDERLY SUFFERERS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, WOMEN LOSE LANGUAGE SKILLS MORE PROFOUNDLY THAN MEN AS THE DISEASE PROGRESSES. MORE IN THIS REPORT:

VIDEO (misc. B-roll)

VOICEOVER: ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE EFFECTS MORE THAN 4 MILLION MOSTLY ELDERLY AMERICANS, BUT A STUDY AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY HAS DISCOVERED A SPECIAL PROBLEM WOMEN WITH ALZHEIMER'S FACE, LOSING LANGUAGE SKILLS. STUDY RESULTS INDICATE THAT A GREATER DETERIORATION OF LANGUAGE SKILLS AMONG WOMEN, RESULTING FROM THE DISEASE, IS OFTEN UNDETECTED BECAUSE TESTS LARGELY IGNORE DIFFERENCES IN GENDER. MOST TESTS FOR ALZHEIMER'S ARE CONVERSATIONAL BY DESIGN. RESEARCHERS NOW KNOW THAT WOMEN HAVE INHERENTLY BETTER CONVERSATIONAL ABILITY AND TEND TO USE IT TO MASK ERODING LANGUAGE SKILLS MORE THAN MEN DURING TESTING. DANIELLE RIPICH LED THE ALZHEIMER'S STUDY.

SOT & SUGGESTED SUPER: DANIELLE RIPICH, ASSOCIATE PROF. AND CHAIR, CWRU COMMUNICATION SCIENCES

(OUTCUE: "diagnosis of probable or possible Alzheimer's Disease.") (0:32)

VOICEOVER: RIPICH BELIEVES WOMEN LOSE LANGUAGE ABILITY MORE PROFOUNDLY THAN MEN BECAUSE THEY USE BOTH HEMISPHERES OF THE BRAIN FOR IT, WHILE MALE LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE BRAIN'S LEFT HEMISPHERE. AS THE DISEASE REACHES ADVANCED STAGES, MORE OF A WOMAN'S LANGUAGE CENTERS ARE EFFECTED. RIPICH SAYS LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE JUST ONE OF SEVERAL GENDER DIFFERENCES ASSOCIATED WITH ALZHEIMER'S THAT NEED ATTENTION.

THIS IS DAVE NAROSNY REPORTING FROM CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, CLEVELAND.

-CWRU-