There are many different causes of dementia. The types of dementias are based on the changes that occur in the brain and include vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal disorder. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for a very large population of dementia cases. The disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of these cases, making it the most common form of dementia. Of the approximately 6.8 million Americans who have been diagnosed with dementia, over 5 million have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (Defina, Moser, Glenn, Lichtenstein, Fellus,2013). With an aging population by 2050 these numbers are expected to double. Alzheimer’s is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. The increasing incidences of …show more content…
AD most frequently presents with episodic memory impairment as the earliest and most prominent feature, with additional deficits in language, semantic memory, executive functioning, visuospatial abilities, and functional impairment that emerge over the disease’s course (Defina, Moser, Glenn, Lichtenstein, Fellus, 2013). The most common and earliest symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information because Alzheimer’s changes typically begins in the part of the brain that affects learning. (Alzheimer's Disease & …show more content…
Alois Alzheimer. Dr. Alzheimer was studying brain tissue that had unusual changes in it, of a woman who had passed away from an unknown mental illness. This individual had symptoms of language problems, inconsistent behavior and memory loss. After her passing Dr. Alzheimer examined her brain, his findings were abnormal. He found many abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers, which are now called amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary, tau, or tangles. Characteristic brain pathology of AD includes the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (interweavings of filaments within the body of the nerve cell [neuron]) and plaques indicative of neuron degeneration (Chapman, Williams, Strine, Anda, Moore, 2006). These changes in the brain are considered the main physical features of Alzheimer’s disease. Another feature of Alzheimer’s is the loss of the connectivity of the neurons and how they interact between nerve cells in the brain. Degeneration is particularly prominent among neurons that release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (Chapman, Williams, Strine, Anda, Moore, 2006). Abnormalities in the transport of glutamate, the chief excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, may also underlie the development of AD (Chapman, Williams, Strine, Anda, Moore, 2006). The degeneration of these neurons limits how the brain communicates with the body and how it processes memories and
The sixth leading cause of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease afflicts approximately 5.2 million persons age 65 and over (Alzheimer's Association, 2012). Rapid growth of the older population as the Baby Boomer generation ages will cause unprecedented increases in the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s. It is estimated that by 2025 the number of Wisconsin residents with Alzheimer’s age 65 and older will increase by 30% to a projected total of 127,000 (Alzheimer's Association, 2012).
Although Alzheimer’s disease appears to be the most common cause of dementia, “more than 50 conditions are associated with dementia, including degenerative ...
Memory plays a significant role in the everyday lives of people of all ages. It allows them to recall information and remember skills that were learned in the past. Memory also organizes past information to help people make current and future decisions. However, imagine forgetting the names of close family members or not having the ability to find your keys every time you want to leave the house. These are some of the struggles that people with Alzheimer’s disease face daily. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified by German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, and was discovered to have an overpowering effect on explicit memory loss (Gruetzner, 1988). There are two types of Alzheimer’s disease – early onset and late onset. Early onset occurs in patients who are diagnosed before the age of 65 whereas late onset occurs in patients who are diagnosed after the age of 65. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, short-term memory is often lost. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, problems with long-term memory begin to develop, in addition to short-term memory impairments. Although a lot is known about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, the cause has not been conclusively identified. However, as research continues, new theories about the cause of Alzheimer’s disease are being proposed. This has led to a controversy over whether Alzheimer’s disease is caused by genetics or environmental influences (Gruetzner, 1988).
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
There are three different abnormalities that can make up Alzheimer’s disease. The first abnormality is beta-amyloid peptide cut from APP, a membrane precursor protein (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). Too much beta-amyloid is toxic and causes plaque buildup between neurons that reduces levels of acetylcholine which makes is difficult to retrieve old memories and make new ones (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). Another abnormality of Alzheimer’s disease is the presence of neurofibrillary tangles inside the neuron. These tangles consist of tau, a protein that leaves its stabilizing role and binds to another tau molecule forming a neurofibrillary tangle. (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). Neurofibrillary tangles then kill the neuron. The final abnormality of Alzheimer’s disease is brain shrinkage. The brain shrink...
Disease is so persistent, disabling, and costly. Based on postmortem examinations of remaining brain tissues in Alzheimer’s patients, Amyloid plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles are the two main characteristics involved with Alzheimer’s disease. (5) Amyloid-B is a protein that accumulates on the inside and outside of neurons. High levels of amyloid proteins damage axons and dendrites. (3) These damaged axons and dendrites cluster into structures called amyloid plaques, which begin to form before any behavioral symptoms appear (3). As the plaques accumulate, the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and other areas atrophy or waste away (3). In addition to amyloid-B, these neurofibrillary tangles accumulate from tau proteins (3). Tau proteins are the intracellular support structure for neurons. Tau proteins help assemble and maintain microtubules that transport nutrients along axons (5). However, in Alzheimer’s disease, tau undergoes changes that cause it to bind to itself, resulting in neurofibrillary tangles (5). Therefore, the combination of amyloid and tau produces the behavioral deficits seen in those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease ...
Dementia is the progressive deterioration and impairment of memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions occurring as the result of a disease or condition. Dementia can affect the person’s ability to carry out daily activities. For example, the person may forget where they live or they might think they have already done their activities but never did. Dementia can also cause the elderly to become incontinent and can’t control their urinary system. Many people get confused that dementia is a disease. Dementia is not a disease. However, it can lead to a disease or condition. Dementia is more common in the elderly population. It’s normal for people to forget things, but to a certain extent it becomes a critical issue. Depression also plays a role in the affects of dementia. Studies have been made to believe that the biological mechanisms for depression relating to dementia is, “interactions with vascular diseases, changes in glucocorticoid steroid levels that can result in hippocampal atrophy, accumulation of amyloid-[beta] plaques, inflammatory processes, and lack of nerve growth factors” (Heser et al., 2013). Dementia is caused because of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This can also be known as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia is the leading cause for Alzheimer’s Disease in the elderly. For all dementia cases, 60 to 80 percent of people with dementia will have Alzheimer’s Disease. The disease has 3 different stages, the early stage, the middle stage, and the late stage. Each of those stages has a variety of symptoms that affects the memory impairment of the person (Wieregna, Bondi, 2011). Also relating to dementia is Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington Disease. These diseases can result in impairment, which can cause challeng...
Alzheimer’s disease got its name from the German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, he noticed that there were abnormal clumps and bundles of fibers i...
There are two abnormal structures called plaques and tangles, which are prime things in damaging and killing nerve cells. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid, that builds up in the spaces between the nerve cells. On the other hand, tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau, that build up inside cells. Even though people develop plaques and tangles as they age, people with Alzheimer's disease, develop much more. People with Alzeimer's disease also develop plaques and tangles in a predictable pattern, starting in the areas important for memory, before spreading to other parts. Plaques and tangles will usually spread through the cortex as Alzheimer's progresses. It is believed that plaques and tangles play a critical role in blocking the communication among nerve cells and disrupting processes that cells need to
degeneration 3 A nerve cell has numerous axons and dendrites coming out of it. A neurofibrillary tangle is when the neuron changes. A number of dendrites are missing and the nucleus is filled with protein filaments resembling steel wool. Although all elderly people have a few of these helix shaped bundles in their brain as they are normal indicators of aging, Alzheimer's patients have. more than usual.
Alzheimer’s disease progresses at a very slow rate. Changes in the brain may begin to develop as much as twenty years before diagnosis [2] (Figure 1a). Mild to moderate Alzheimer’s (Figure 1b) may last two to ten years [2]. In this stage, there is very mild cognitive impairment including memory lapses in association with familiar words or location of objects...
Scientists know that Alzheimer disease is characterized by a gradual spread of sticky plaques and clumps of tangled fibers that disrupt the organization of nerve cells in the brain. However , a definite cause, prevention, or cause has not been found.
Thesis/Preview Statement – Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes a decline in brain function, it destroys healthy nerve cells. Today, we have discussed Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of AD.
Alzheimer’s disease or AD is an incurable disorder of the brain that results in loss of normal brain structure and function. In an AD brain, normal brain tissue is slowly replaced by structures called plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques represent a naturally occurring sticky protein called beta amyloid and in an Alzheimer’s brain, sufferer’s tend to accumulate too much of this protein. Neurofibrillary tangles represent collapsed tau proteins which, in a normal brain along with microtubules, form a skeleton that maintains the shape of the nerve cells. In Alzheimer’s disease, the tau proteins break loose from their normal location and form tangles. Without the support of these molecules, nerve cells collapse and die. As normal brain structure is lost with progression of the disease, brain function also degenerates. Patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease display a gradual mental decline. Initially, and most apparently, there is a loss of short-term memory. Eventually, as a patient progresses to later stages of the disease, the brain becomes so damaged that patients can no longer communicate or recognize immediate family or even themselves. They have difficulty walking and standing and frequently fall. In the final stages, they lose bladder and bowel control and have difficulty with swallowing, frequently leaving them malnourished and dehydrated. Eventually, they are forced to remain bedridden and, without the help of life-prolonging measures provided in a hospital, die. However, this level of deterioration is severe and may take as long as twenty years. Because of the disease’s slow progress and its usual later start in a person’s life, a victim of AD will usually die first of natural causes. Under the objectives ...
One of the most ‘famous’ Alzheimer’s effects is the memory loss, that is one of the very first symptoms of the disease. The person begins to forget things that