【答案解析】suffers from dementia | result in | the frequency of diagnosed | caring for | a decline in memory, reasoning | at first appear just confused | behavioral changes or mood swings | memory loss | the likelihood of not remembering | a second ago | Depending on the luck of the gene pool | average male lifespan | available to treat | An early diagnosis can possibly arrest the disease | exhibiting signs of confused thinking | The fear of being discovered | overwhelming | caregiver are often in denial | from not just the attending physician | British author | CAT scan | dense with lines | neural pathways wiped out | so does short-term and then long-term | not of a healthy mind | a nano second ago | sufferer is often oblivious | like that other vital muscle | thrives on daily exercise | mental workouts | It"s mind over matter [听力原文]

Professor: Depending on your age, you may, or may not know someone who suffers from dementia, a progressive brain dysfunction that can result in Alzheimer"s disease. As our society ages, the frequency of diagnosed dementia is increasing, putting all kinds of stresses on families and medical care. With half of the world"s population over fifty, and often caring for older parents suffering from dementia, not surprisingly there is a lot of interest in this tragic condition.
Each person will experience dementia in his or her own way, but there will usually be a decline in memory, reasoning and communication skills. The person may at first appear just confused and not themselves. However, if this forgetfulness continues and results in behavioral changes or mood swings, then there is clear cause for concern.
Studies show that people don"t really have to start worrying about signs of memory loss until they are around 65. By the time people are in their mid-80s the likelihood of not remembering what was just said a second ago or where they left the car keys can increase by 20%. Depending on the luck of the gene pool, one out of every three people who make it to 90 will probably be suffering from moderate to severe dementia.
The science that gave better medicine and food, thereby increasing the average male lifespan from 65 to 80 years in the last century, and in women, 82, is also discovering drugs and therapies to treat dementia. For example, drugs are already available to treat some people in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer"s disease. An early diagnosis can possibly arrest the disease or at best stabilize it. However, don"t expect the person exhibiting signs of confused thinking to go for testing.
The fear of being discovered, or found out, is paralyzing and the shame of losing your marbles overwhelming. Both the sufferer and the caregiver are often in denial. Therefore, diagnosing dementia is very complicated, requiring input and observation from not just the attending physician, but the circle of family and friends. Testing involves questionnaires, blood tests and brain scans.
One of the most public cases of Alzheimer"s was the death of British author, Iris Murdoch in 1999. Her decline was first captured in a book by her husband and then on screen in 2001 by actors Kate Winslet and Judy Dench. One movie scene was particularly illuminating because you actually saw the disease when her husband looks at the CAT scan of her brain. Anyway in this scene you see a healthy cross-section of a brain cortex, dense with lines, and then Iris"s with all the convolutions or neural pathways wiped out—nothing—it"s totally erased. This brilliant mind has been completely erased by the disease. These lines are information highways and when they disappear, so does short-term and then long-term memory. Dementia is a cruel, cruel disease where the individual is still in a healthy body, but not of a healthy mind.
Imagine not having a mind, not remembering where one was one instant and what happened a nano second ago. One gerontologist likened it to living in a room with no doors and no windows, no escape, no sense of time. A mental prison that the sufferer is often oblivious to because he or she can"t remember.
But take heart, the brain is a muscle and studies prove that like that other vital muscle, the heart, the brain also thrives on daily exercise and proper diet. While genetic propensity has a lot to do with chances of outwitting this life stalking disease, so do mental and physical habits, all through life, but more so in mid-life. This could explain why today"s boomer generation is busy doing mental workouts like crossword puzzles and playing bridge, as much as they"re jogging and counting carbohydrates. It"s mind over matter.