Pam Belluck’s article entitled “Nuns Offer Clues to Alzheimer’s and Aging” focuses on the lives of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and a scientific experiment called the Nun Study. The Nun Study intends to find clues and answers about who gets Alzheimer’s disease and why. For fifteen years, these nuns have been tested on their ability to memorize, their strength, and even their genes have been analyzed. Dr. Snowdon’s research has theorized that a positive emotional state of mind earlier in life may lead to a longer, healthier life. But overall, a good portion of this article has little to do with scientific research, and much to do with the lives of nuns. The scientific research that the author does provide is not helpful in fully understanding this experiment. Belluck is not totally committed to this scientific study. Her main interest seems to be fixed on the lives of the nuns in this convent.
Pam Belluck’s fascination begins in her opening paragraph, where she avidly describes the convent. The description she presents gives the reader the perception that the article is going to portray the lives of nuns. She writes “…nuns attend Mass and murmur rosaries under a white vaulted dome.” The picture she paints in this statement describes a major daily activity in the convent, attending Mass. She is allowing the reader to assume that the article will be about convent life. Not once in her opening paragraph does she mention anything about a scientific study, the main intention of the article.
The author of this article then goes on to explain the scientific experiment, but she barely sites the scientific research performed. In the third paragraph of the article she writes, “And as they have died, their brains have been removed and shipped in plastic tubs to a laboratory where they are analyzed and stored in jars.” She tells the reader that the nuns’ brains are being researched, but she does not state the cause. What are the scientists trying to prove by analyzing these brains? She leaves this question unanswered. This article shows various signs of weakness in the area of scientific research. Another example of this is found towards the middle of the article when she goes on to explain the daily testing the nuns perform. They undergo physical and cognitive testing, and afterwards the nuns receive reports of their results to see if their performance has altered.
Pah-Lavan, Z. (2006). Alzheimer's disease: the road to oblivion. Journal of Community Nursing, 20(5), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The story Miss Julianne is an excellent example of patients suffering from dementia. Although one of my family members, my Nana was also a dementia patient, but after reading this textI can relate more to his situation. Miss Julianne is also a dementia patient as she keep-forgetting things and blames others, her aggressive behavior. This story relates to my personal experience, the challenges and the change in my views and opinions and resulted in my emotional response to it.
Lisa Genova’s grandmother, who was 85 years old, had been showing signs of dementia for years; but she was a smart and independent woman who never complained, and she navigated around her symptoms. Her nine children and their spouses, as well as her grandchildren, passed off her mistakes to normal aging. Then they got the phone call when Lisa’s grandmot...
...sion of the disease. In addition, the risk factors and preventive measures are quite clear. These can help those who are unaware of what Alzheimer’s disease is or how it progresses. Future studies may prove to be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of Alzheimer’s, or at least the severity of its’ progression. Informing people of this disease, the risk factors, and preventive measures at a younger age, can only prove beneficial in the decrease or possible elimination of this physically and mentally altering disease. Living a healthy life now can only increase your chances of having a healthier life in old age.
Nerney, C. (2014, April). Dementia. Lecture conducted from Massachusetts’s College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA.
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading neurodegenerative disease in elderly adults. It affects more than 30 million people in the world (1). There are a few major markers behind Alzheimer’s disease. These include amyloid β plaque, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are the processes involved in the synthesis, transport, and function of retinoids.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is on the rise among ageing populations worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease leads to the death of neurons in numerous areas of the brain, including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, which are two areas of the brain correlated with memory. (5) According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease could rise from 5 million to 16 million in the United States and by 2050 the total worldwide is predicted to rise to 100 million. This could relentlessly strain health-care systems because the
In this day and age, it seems as though almost everyone has experience a loved one taken away form a very serious disease known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is unbelievably devastating for everyone affected by it. This disease is causing major economical problems such as less occupancy in the nursing homes, and hospitals due to the rising population of elderly men and women being diagnosed with it everyday. Because there is not yet a cure for this disease and the percent of the population being diagnosed keeps rapidly rising, more time and money needs to go towards Alzheimer’s research.
Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder which kills the brain cells, causing memory loss and cognitive decline. This leads to severe psychological impairments which changes how people think, behave and other complications such as paranoia, disorientation and unprovoked aggression. These psychological impairments reduce people’s functional ability and therefore reduce their quality of life.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Alzheimer’s disease affects central nervous, neuromuscular, and digestive system. In the digestive system, swallowing difficulties are common for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. In the neuromuscular system, the ability to walk and maintain their posture in a chair is common for people with Alzheimer’s. In Alzheimer’s disease, the connections between brain cells and the brain cells themselves deteriorate and die, which causes a steady decline in memory and mental function. It is the most common cause for dementia, which is a brain disorder that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills. (Staff, 2013) It is severe enough to interfere with every day activities. It is important to seek support through counseling and maintain medical assistance through medication or any other form of aid. Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that should be considered a priority in order to be able to maintain a decent lifestyle.
So, as we can see here synaptic loss is not just age related and we can see this relationship through the evidence of the parts of the brains affected as well as a study that looks at an actual comparison of synapses. The comparison is between people with no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and early Alzheimer’s disease. Mild cognitive impairment is a type of impairment within the brain that can cause a slight but noticeable decline in cognitive abilities. These abilities include memory and thinking skills. These patients are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and that is why they were also looked at in this research (Scheff, Price, Schmitt & Mufson, 2005). One of the major research findings that led to this study was that patients with Alzheimer’s disease seemed to have a loss of synaptic contacts in their neocortex and hippocampus. This loss of synaptic contacts demonstrates an association with cognitive ability and correlates strongly with dementia. It was unknown whether patients with mild cognitive impairment had significant synaptic loss compared to those with no cognitive impairment.
Alzhiemer’s disease is the most common form of dementia . It is a disease in which nerve cells in the brain die. As nerve cells die it’s difficult for the brain's signals to be transmitted properly. The death of the nerve cells occurs gradually over a period of years. The gradual loss of brain function seems to be due to two main forms of nerve damage, nerve cells develop tangles (neurofibrillary tangles) and protein deposits known as beta-amyloid plaques build up in the brain. The first sign of Alzheimers is memory impairment. Recent memory is lost first and as time goes on, attention is lost, simple calculations become impossible, and ordinary daily activities become difficult, and the patient feels bewildered and frustrated. Symptoms tend to worsen at night which is known as the sundown effect. Patients have dramatic mood swings such as outbursts of anger, bouts of fearfulness, and periods of lethargy. The patient becomes increasingly disoriented and because of disorientation they may wander off and become lost. Alzheimer’s also results in physical problems like an odd gait, or a loss of coordination. Over the course of time patients lose physical and communicative abilities entirely. Alzheimer's disease can run its course from onset to death in as few as four years, or it may play out over a period of as long as 20 years. On average people suffer with Alzheimer's disease for about nine years. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. One person out of eight age 65 and over has the disease.
Alzheimer’s affects the minds ability to function, and only worsens over time, to the point were you have to be cared for hourly. While there is not a cure for it, an interest by scientists sparks the desire to find one. The topic appealed to me because while it seems that Alzheimer’s doesn’t have much depth, it is actually a very complicated.
At first, she is excited about her new environment and enjoys the company of the nuns, "who, to amuse her, would take her into the chapel by way of a long corridor leading from the dining hall." However, she was a serious student. "She played very little during the recreation period and knew her catechism well." The church fascinates her and she is always trying to fast, find some vo...
The Host's description of the Nun's Priest highlights the disparity between traditional conceptions of the clergy and their actual roles and personalities. The Nun's Priest is, as dictated by his profession, celibate, but the Host serves to remind the reader of his sexual persona.