While there has been much research about Lewy Bodies dementia and It’s possible causes, there are as yet no definitive cause or risk factors, and no cure. Current information available does little to clarify understanding of the condition which makes up approx. 15% of all dementias (Canadian nursing home 2014(ASC2011)) .
Lewy Bodies is named after the neurologist Frederick H Lewy (Alzheimer’s association UK) who discovered the protein Alpha-synuclein within the brain. Alpha-synuclein is a normally occurring protein in the brain, but as yet research has not found It’s actual function (Alzheimer’s association UK), although Malek et al(2014) states that it accounts for up to 1% of proteins and may be responsible for stability of neural membranes
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The two specific areas affected are the brain stem and the cerebral cortex. The person with Lewy bodies dementia will present with different symptoms clinically depending on the initial areas of the brain that are affected (Kosaka 2014). Kosaka further defines the dementia experienced by those with cerebral cortex originating lewy body into 2 types, common and pure. Common being experienced by people over the age of 65, with cognitive impairment being the main reason for seeking diagnosis, with 30% of this group never experiencing the parkinsonian tremors that are often associated with lewy body dementia. People with pure Lewy body dementia experienced onset of the condition at a much earlier age, with parkinsonian tremors being the main reason for their treatment (Kosaka 2014). Malek et al (2014) suggests that at autopsy up to 12% of people aged 60 and over have lewy bodies present(Malek et al 2014), yet without clinical signs of disease caused by their …show more content…
Their research found that Alpha-synuclein is not only found in the central nervous system, but also is detected in other bodily fluids (Malek et al 2014) in varying potency, which could become the marker for diagnosis (Malek et al 2014) for Parkinson’s disease. However with lewy bodies being found at autopsy (Malek et al. 2014) without clinical systems of disease, this diagnostic testing still has work to be done to render it an effective and reliable tool. Although their study did not include Dementia with lewy bodies, the possibility of this research also including Dementia with lewy bodies in the future is likely due to Parkinson’s disease and dementia with lewy bodies both being neurodegenerative disorders characterised by the prevalence of Alpha-synuclein in the brain (Canadian nursing home
Lewy body dementia –memory loss, hallucination, difficulties with mobility, muscle stiffness, shaking and dizziness, problems with sleeping.
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.
With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part
"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. .
Parkinson disease (PD), also referred to as Parkinson’s disease and paralysis agitans, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is the third most common neurologic disorder of older adults. It is a debilitating disease affecting motor ability and is characterized by four cardinal symptoms: tremor rigidity, bradykinesia or kinesis (slow movement/no movement), and postural instability. Most people have primary, or idiopathic, disease. A few patients have secondary parkinsonian symptoms from conditions such as brain tumors and certain anti-psychotic drugs.
Webster had displayed patterns of distressing behavior before his death from a heart attack at age 50, and Omalu was curious as to what the former player 's brain would reveal. Omalu sent the brain to be cut into paper thin slices to be examined later under a microscope. Under further investigation Omalu found clumps of tau proteins (Tau proteins are proteins that perform the function of stabilizing microtubules. These proteins are abundant in nerve cells and are present to a much lesser degree in oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. When Tau proteins become defective and fail to adequately stabilize microtubules, pathologies of the nervous system can develop such as Alzheimer’s disease.)
clumps of abnormal proteins insides the brain cells. These proteins are called the Tau proteins they take a form of picks bodies. This slowly leads to frontotemporal dementia.
The postwar England of the twenties and thirties was the setting of Evelyn Waugh’s first satirical novels, among which was the Vile Bodies. Waugh, an author mostly known for his highly satirical fiction, published his novel Vile Bodies in 1930 right in the middle of the time-period between the Great Wars. Because of the historical evens that occupied England at that time, much of British Literature of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s was concerned with the Modernist movement, which was occupied with the idea of individualism of the young generation. Through the use of prominent and yet highly satirical characters, Waugh strives to criticize his Modernist generation for its unsuccessful movement into Modernism, both on the individual and political/institutional level. He does so by defining his type-characters as ignorant, self-centered and hypocritical in their disastrous movement toward individualism.
The fact that early signs of Parkinsonism can easily be overlooked as normal aging, further complicates diagnosis. Therefore, primary care physicians of the middle-aged and elderly population must be extremely sensitive to patients’ outward appearance and changes in movement ability. 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).
The first case of dementia was discovered in 1906 by a German physiatrist Alois Alzheimer. It was first observed in a female patient and she was forty-one years old her name was Auguste D. Dr. Alzheimer observed a decline in the patient’s cognitive abilities. She lost her memory, she exhibited behavioral issues, and she suffered from hallucinations, lost the ability to comprehend language, disorientation and lost her speech. After Augusta’s passing Dr. Alzheimer preformed an autopsy that showed the classic triangles and knots we associate today with Alzheimer. Those triangles and knots are a proteins and plaque. The brain is self looked smaller and had distinct characteristics. Still with modern medicine the only way to diagnose a person with Alzheimer is after their death with an autopsy. (THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT, 2014).
The following paper discusses one of the most common disease of the elderly naming Parkinson's Disease. This paper reflects the basic understanding of the disease with prime focus on the course, treatment and advance health care needs of the patient. Additionally, to have a better understanding of the disease this paper puts some light on the causes and pathogenesis of the disease and how an elderly patient can cope up with his life during the last stages of the disease.
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...
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.
This usually occurs in older adults aged above 65; however, it is a disability and not a normal symptom of aging. Chances of inheritability are present, but it depends on the individual and the type of dementia (Alzheimer Australia, 2011). The Global Deterioration Scale provides a detailed explanation of the seven stages of cognitive decline in dementia (Alzheimer’s Association of Canada, 2005). Types of Dementia There are four main types of dementia, with AD being the most widespread form. It accounts for almost two thirds (50 -70 percent) of the cases and thus more extensively studied (Miller, 2009)....