Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.

Alzheimer’s disease in many ways is not yet defined. It is a progressive disease afflicting between 5 and 15 percent of people over 65. Additionally, it is not restricted to the elderly, reportedly having presented in teenagers. Prior to 1960, the term Alzheimer’s was reserved for presenile dementia’s resulting in death within 5 years where the classical neuroanatomic changes were seen upon autopsy. Currently, there is still considerable debate as to whether the disease called Alzheimer’s in the elderly is the same disease as that called Alzheimer’s in younger people. In addition, recent and past research into Alzheimer’s has been in geared toward defining the disease as much as describing the disease process. Presently, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is based on characteristic dysfunction’s of the individual and on brain biopsy or post-mortem brain autopsy looking for cortical degeneration, a preponderance of plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles.

Exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease is unknown. Aging has been blamed for Alzheimer’s. The preponderance of cases being among the aged supports this theory but the existence of Alzheimer’s scattered across the population not explained. Transmissi...

... middle of paper ...

...Transport of Neurofilament as a Mechanism of Pathogenesis Underlying Alzheimer’s Disease and Many Other Degenerations of the CNS. Normal Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease and Senile Dementia , 51--67.

Katzman, R. , T. Brown, P. Fuld, L. Thal, P. Davies, R. Terry (1986) Significance of Neurotransmitter Abnormalities in Alzheimer’s Disease. Neuropeptides in Neurologic and Psvchiatric Disease: 279-286.

Martin, A., P. Browers, C. Cox, and P. Fedio (1985) On the Nature of the Verbal Memory Deficit in Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain and Language: 25, 323-341.

Rosen, W. G. , R. C. Mohs, K. L. Davis (1985) Assessing Symptom Severity in Alzheimer’s Disease. Interdis. Topics Geront.: 20, 35-42.

Wisniewski, H. M., G. S. Merz, G. Y. Wen, K. Iqbal and I. Grundke-Iqbal (1985) Morphology and Biochemistry of Alzheimer’s Disease. Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type: 263-274