Research Paper On Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease: Death of the Mind

Introduction

We all dream of living a long and productive life. Getting married, having kids, developing lifelong friendships, and being active and healthy in our old age are all goals that we strive towards. Imagine however, slowly being robbed of the core memories that define one’s life. Slowly forgetting not only the events that had great impact, but also the people that make life not only special and unique but that make us feel safe and loved. This is exactly what is happening to hundreds of thousands of people over the age of sixty-five who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

This paper will provide the latest research on the causes and cures for Alzheimer’s and will also discuss the

It is expected that by 2050 there will be new case of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed every thirty-three seconds (Alliance for Aging Research). The disease is one of the top six causes of death in the elderly. Of the top ten causes of death, it is the only one without an effective treatment or cure. To add to the complication the late appearance of serious symptoms makes it difficult to catch the disease early on

Of those top ten causes of death, it is the only one without an effective treatment or cure (Alliance for Aging Research). When speaking of the finding a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease George Petty Ph.D. and author of the book Alzheimer’s disease: Advances for a New Century says:

As far as my personal reflections on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research go, the cup is very much half full. Half full because progress has been made in the past decade but only half because that progress has not been anything like as rapid or productive as many would have predicted let alone hoped for a decade ago.

Even with so much new research findings surrounding the causes of Alzheimer’s not much advancement has been made in finding a cure or prevention for the disease. Part of the problem according to Perry is that by the time the patient is diagnosed and enters into a trail a great deal of damage had already been done to the brain. Without an ability to test early treatment it is hard to tell if a treatment would have stopped the changes in the brain before they occur (Perry). A study in lab rats have found a “pattern of alteration in the brain network with consequences in cognition already present at very early stages of the disease, when most of the pathological hallmarks have not yet been detected (Munoz-Moreno).” Given researches hope that they can diagnose the disease and start trail treatments earlier before