Julianne Moore thinks your brain deserves a spot on your checkup list, too.
In a recent interview with People, the actress talked about the questions she still gets more than a decade after Still Alice. Friends tell her they’re forgetting things or feeling unusually tired, then ask whether they should mention it to a doctor.
“We have normalized so much with checkups. Now it’s routine to get a mammogram, it’s routine to get a colonoscopy,” she told the outlet. “… We know that we’re going to do all of these things, because that’s the road to making something better, so I think we want to do that with brain health as well.”
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Why Julianne Moore Is Speaking Up About Brain Health
Moore won an Oscar for playing a linguistics professor with Alzheimer’s in Still Alice, but the conversations the film started have lasted far longer than awards season. People still approach her about a parent or spouse who’s struggling, or something they’ve noticed themselves.
“Sometimes there’ll be a girlfriend who will say, like, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m a little fuzzy about remembering things,’ or, ‘I’m tired all the time — what is that? Should I talk to my doctor?’” she said.
She’s continuing her advocacy through a partnership with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s Brain Health Matters campaign. When she made Still Alice, Moore realized how often people dismissed Alzheimer’s as just getting older. Now, she’s encouraging people to ask their doctors about memory concerns, cognitive assessments, and their own risk factors.
“We want to say, ‘Okay, let’s normalize the conversation to understand how important the brain is in terms of our overall functioning, and go to our doctor and speak to them directly about it,’” she said.
Does Everyone Need a Brain Health Test?
Not necessarily. Moore discussed cognitive assessments (tests that assess memory and thinking), along with newer blood tests that can help doctors investigate symptoms.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the first blood test it cleared to help diagnose Alzheimer’s is intended for adults 55 and older who are showing signs of the disease. It isn’t meant to screen everyone, and the result alone can’t provide a diagnosis. Doctors will also consider your symptoms and other medical information. If you’ve noticed a change, start by telling your doctor what’s been happening.
“You are your biggest advocate,” she said. “You are the one who’s going to know most about how your body feels, about how your brain feels.”
