Lucien Hisel was a farmer with a memory so sharp that he could point out each of the hundreds of cows in his field and say how they were all related.

Then one day seven years ago, Hisel surveyed his cattle and couldn't tell them apart. It was the beginning of his descent into the fog of Alzheimer's disease.

“There's no cure and no way to stop the process of the disease yet,” said Dr. William Markesbery, a 77-year-old neurologist and neuropathologist who has led the research for 30 years…

Bill is really one of the prominent people, nationally and internationally, and UK has one of the leading Alzheimer's centers,” said Dr. Ronald C. Petersen, a Mayo Clinic researcher who heads the Alzheimer's Association's medical and scientific advisory council. “UK has been at the forefront of the disease for many, many years and remains there.”

Courier-Journal  by Laura Ungar, 11/22/09

Tags: Alzheimer's centers, alzheimer's disease, Neurology