The participation in leisure activities, such as dance, is related with a reduced risk of development of dementia, both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (Verghese et al., 2003). Dementia is “a general term that describes a group of symptoms-such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function-caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain's nerve cells, or neurons” (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America [AFA], 2015, para 1). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in persons over the age of 65, representing about 60 percent of all dementias. Dementia is specifically characterized by “different pathologic, or structural, changes in the brain, such as an accumulation of
716). Characteristic features of Parkinson's disease include “motor impairment (bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, gait dysfunction, and postural instability), cognitive impairment (frontal lobe executive dysfunction), and mood disorders” (p. 716). Normally, motor performance depends on the interaction between automatic (unconscious) and volitional (cognitive) control of movement, however those with Parkinson's disease, experience an “early and preferential loss of dopamine in the caudal regions of the basal ganglia (dorsal regions in rodents), which leads to diminished automatic and increased cognitive control of movements that include frontal lobe circuitry” (p. 716). Consequently, those with Parkinson’s disease must sustain a larger cognitive load to execute either motor or cognitive tasks, such as working memory. In the past decade, increasing evidence has accrued for the role of exercise in the improvement of motor performance, which may help both the cognitive and automatic control of movement. Thus, exercise interventions can help those with Parkinson’s disease incorporate goal-based motor skill training, which then helps in engaging circuitry important in motor learning. Individuals with Parkinson's disease become cognitively engaged with the practice and acquiring of movements and skills that were formerly automatic and unconscious. In addition, aerobic exercise is also observed as important for improvement of blood flow and assistance of neuroplasticity in the elderly, which may also play a role in the improvement of behavioral function in those with Parkinson's disease. Petzinger et al. additionally states that exercise also uses goal-based training and aerobic activity which can improve “both cognitive and automatic
By universal definition, "sport" is listed as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." Football, basketball, baseball, soccer and other primary activities have always been concretely defined as sports in society. However, one of the most physically demanding activities is constantly forgotten when it comes to the realm of sports- dance. Dance requires a tremendous amount of training and creates an aura of competition in which people compete to be the best, win, and take home the trophy- just like in traditionally accepted sports. These sports, however, do not possess an element of psychological health threats that some competitive dancers unfortunately must account for due to the emphasis placed on physical appearance.
Goldmann, David R., and David A. Horowitz. American College of Physicians Home Medical Guide to Parkinson's Disease. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
"Dementia: Hope Through Research." National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). National Institute of Neurological Disroders and Stroke, 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. .
The path physiology of Parkinson’s disease is the pathogenesis if Parkinson disease is unknown. Epidemiologic data suggest genetic, viral, and environmental toxins as possible causes. Nigral and basal loss of neurons with depletion of dopamine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, is the principal biochemical alteration in Parkinson disease. Symptoms in basal ganglia disorders result from an imbalance of dopaminergic (inhibitory) and cholinergic (excitatory) activity in the caudate and putamen of the basal ganglia.
Parkinson's is an idiopathic, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that attacks neurotransmitters in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is concentrated in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical that regulates muscle movement and emotion. Dopamine is responsible for relaying messages between the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain to control body movement. The death of these neurotransmitters affects the central nervous system. The most common symptoms are movement related, including shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with posture. Behavioral problems may arise as the disease progresses. Due to the loss of dopamine, Parkinson's patients will often experience depression and some compulsive behavior. In advanced stages of the disease dementia will sometimes occur. The implications of the disease on the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory and phonatory systems significantly control speech.
Most signs and symptoms of Parkinson disease correspond to one of three motor deficiencies: bradykinesia, akinesia, tremor, and rigidity. The first two qualities are usually present before tremor, but often attributed to aging by the patient and even the physician, and thus the disease is rarely diagnosed until tremor becomes evident much later. An average of 80% of the nigrostriatal neurons may have already degenerated by the time Parkinsonism is diagnosed, which complicates treatment (Fitzgerald, 130). Bra...
Nerney, C. (2014, April). Dementia. Lecture conducted from Massachusetts’s College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA.
Imagine attempting simple everyday tasks and struggling because of confusion or memory loss. Well unfortunately, this is what it is like for many people with dementia. The severity of dementia ranges from person to person, but is there anything that can help? Music therapy, for one, can actually be tremendously helpful for those with dementia in more ways than the average person might think.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2007, in the United States more than 5 million people were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease ("Alzheimer's Disease"). Researchers call Alzheimer’s Disease a “progressive degenerative disorder of the brain” ("Alzheimer's Disease"). Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia and a major cause of senile dementia (Xing, et al.). While recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease is important, it is also important to realize that men and women react differently to the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease, known by many as “The Long Goodbye.” Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This is a degenerative disorder that attacks the brains nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavior changes.
There are four main types of dementia with AD being the most widespread form. It ac...
There is a disease that runs in my family. This disease has killed my maternal great grandmother, my maternal grandmother, and will soon claim the life of my maternal grandmother’s sister. This disease is Alzheimer’s disease. While there is no gene that you can have that can guarantee you will get Alzheimer’s disease, there is a gene which seems to increase your risk of getting the disease. The gene is called APOE-e4. One of my mother’s greatest fears is that she has this gene and therefore is at high risk of falling victim to Alzheimer’s disease. My mother is not alone in this fear as Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States today.
What if there was a way to slow down or even possibly stop the damage caused by Alzheimer’s? Washington University School of Medicine has been working on a solution to that exact notion and it turns out that they have made developments. Consequently, a protein in the brain known as tau may accumulate into deadly jumbles that damage brain cells and this can be directly attributed to diseases such as Alzheimer's. According to the researchers, they believe to have found a medicine that can lessen tau levels and even counteract portions of the neurological damage. Nevertheless, there was a study published in Science Translational Medicine, consisting mice as well as monkeys, where the researchers discovered a molecule known as an antisense oligonucleotide, which could possibly treat irregular tau levels and ultimately
This article discusses Alzheimer’s disease, and the authors write about research on the effectiveness of Icariin (ICA), a type of flavonoid, in treating the disease. Sheng et al. (2017) write that Alzheimer’s is a disease marked by “gradual memory loss and deterioration of higher cognitive function” (p. 1). It is the main cause of dementia in people around the world. The flavonoid known as Icariin (ICA), which is found in the Chinese herb, “Epimedium brevicornum,” is known to have medicinal properties, and these researchers tested to see if the compound could reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s in lab rats. A study was conducted in which the brains of 60 rats were initially injected with amyloid beta compound to simulate the effects of the Alzheimer’s disease (2017, p. 2). Patients with Alzheimer’s develop these plaques in their brains, so the injection is given to induce Alzheimer’s symptoms in the rats. The rats were then divided into 5 groups: a control group, a group receiving an injection of saline solution, a group receiving saline with 30 mg/kg of ICA, one receiving 60mg/kg of ICA, and one group receiving 120 mg/kg of ICA (2017, p. 3). The rats were then tested in a Morris water maze (MWM) to see if there were any differences between the completion times and other markers of the test
Alzheimer's Disease is a disorder which causes memory loss. The genetic disorder consists losing memory as you mature at an old age. The cause of this disorder is brain cell death. The fact that brain cell death occurs this means Alzheimer's shrinks the size of the brain which causes memory loss. Prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis during pregnancies can detect an increased risk for the PSEN1 mutation, Therefore the presence of a mutation does not guarantee an individual will develop Alzheimer's Disease. This diagnose cant be cured but but drug and non-drug treatments can help.Doctors can use imaging tests of the brain to decide if someone has Alzheimer's or another problem.The disorder can be treated by medication (Donepezil). Most people