Dementia Research Paper

Most individuals at some time or another, regardless of age, have walked into a room and forgotten what they intended to do. This trick of the mind can increase with age as well as other problems such as difficulty with vision, auditory, balance, and memory. While these are all common processes with aging, they may also be signs and symptoms of a more serious issue. Dementia can be defined as an illness preventing the ability to think clearly and differentiate between reality and fantasy.1 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is often the foundation of dementia, responsible for 50-70% of the diagnosis’s.2, 3 This is a progressive disease that impedes memory and other mental functions.3

Many people have heard of AD but it is often referred to incorrectly.

A common finding is that amyloid, an insoluble fibrous cellular substance, is not processed correctly and a build up occurs. In individuals with AD, a higher amount of amyloid plaque is found in the brain than for someone following a normal aging process. An inflammatory response is activated which damages the nervous system. The plaque formation causes a chemical disruption that is believed to weaken the proteins that hold together microtubules, the organizational structures of neural cells. This disruption produces neurofibrillary tangles, leading to reduced cell division and neurotransmitter transport. A decrease of neurotransmitters is a trait common in patients with AD as many are important for memory development.2,

If a cure is not discovered and as life expectancy increases, these numbers will continue to rise each year estimated to reach 14 million during the middle of next century.2, 4 With each decade of age, the incidence rate increases; currently it is approximated that for individuals above the age of 65, 6-10% have AD, and by the time they reach 95 years old it has risen to 95%.2,4 For most individuals, the risk for developing AD is estimated between 12-17% but family history and other genetic traits can alter these chances.4

After heart disease, cancer, and stroke, the fourth leading cause of death for adults in the US is AD, occurring 7-11 years after onset.2, 4 Often emotional and psychological issues as well as difficulty for families and caregivers are created due to the dementia. Towards the end stages of the disease, mood changes and decreased motor control have already occurred, an individual may become silent, withdrawn, and lack understanding. Dehydration or disease infection is often the cause of