Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the brain wherein a person afflicted with the said disease would have compromised cognition and memory skills, and eventual deterioration of the skill to execute uncomplicated activities. According to experts, most individuals do not manifest the symptoms for Alzheimer’s disease until they are over the age of 60. This disease affects more than 5.1 million Americans. Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who first discovered deviations from normal tissues of healthy individuals in the brain tissue of a lady in 1906. The woman, who showed symptoms of erratic behavior, loss of memory, and problems with communication, died of a then unfamiliar mental disorder. This led Dr. Alzheimer to investigate the cause of her unusual death. He assessed the brain of the woman and found that there were many anomalous masses (amyloid plaques) and intertwined bundles of fiber (neurofibrillary tangles). Scientists today have pinpointed the qualities of Alzheimer’s to be a) tangles in the brain (neurofibrillary tangles), b) plaque in the brain (amyloid plaques), and c) loss of connections among nerve cells. Experts know little about the true causes of AD (Alzheimer’s disease), however they have proposed the amyloid hypothesis to explain how the disease begins. In people afflicted with AD, lethal transformations are happening in the brain. A buildup of amyloid plaque (β-amyloid clumps), caused by the
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
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.
Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics.
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms, which can include memory loss, changes in mood and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, damage the brain. Alzheimer's disease could be described as a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop
Alzheimer's disease, first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People
Even today, after so much study, Alzheimer’s is not fully understood. However, researchers do agree that this degenerative disease is caused by the gradual buildup of fibrous protein compounds in the brain, which are known in the scientific world as amyloids. These amyloids in the brain area act like plaque and as a result of their presence, the normal brain functioning is disrupted.
It is a disease that we haven’t cured yet but instead have only come up and still coming up with treatment strategies to alleviate its symptoms. AD was first described in 1906 by a German psychiatrist by the name of Alois Alzheimer whilst he was performing a histophathologic study of his patient’s brain, a patient who had been suffering from dementia. His patient’s brain’s autopsy brought to light the presence of two types of lesions, which are senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. He saw a visible difference in the brain tissue for it was severely damaged by these lesions. Since then, our knowledge of AD’s cellular and molecular alterations has increased and we have come up with various hypotheses for AD that may soon help in developing effective preventative and therapeutic strategies. One of the most prevailing hypotheses that have already leaded to a number of therapeutic approaches is the amyloid cascade hypothesis. Hence, the following essay will explore the pathology of the amyloid cascade hypothesis and the evidence for and against it. It will also touch upon current progress in clinical trials that test the
“Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a type of dementia, which is affecting the population that develops in the brain and can lead to problems with memory, thinking and behavior”. The Amyloid Hypothesis claims that the build up of the beta-amyloid in the brain is a cause in the development of Alzheimer disease in patients. This plaque of the beta-amyloid and its cascade of events can be linked to the deterioration and negative effects of cognitive function of the brain over time. The beta-amyloid is described to be a “sticky” protein located in the brain therefore plaques or build up of the amyloid is common. These plaques in turn can block the brain cells from communicating with each other. Which then activates an immune system, that leads to inflammation
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in people above the age of 65. In 1901, Alois Alzheimer identified the first case of this disease and discovered the pathological condition of dementia that bears his name. AD is a progressive disease, the most common early symptom is short-term memory loss. As the disorder advances, individuals have problems with language, motivation, mood and long-term memory. In the final stages, the patient is complete loss of daily living activities.
Reasons for changes that occur in the brain in Alzheimer's disease remain unknown for more than a hundred years. There are many theories to explain its appearance. These include injuries, bad heredity, viruses, toxic effect of external factors (aluminum nitrate), abnormal immune response
Alzheimer’s disease is a mental disorder that catches up to many while in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease that affects the brain. It causes mental deterioration in the brain and may occur in middle or old age. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning over time. The disease slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to do simple tasks. Alzheimer’s is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who noticed changes in the brain tissue of a women who had died of an unusual mental illness. She showed symptoms like memory loss, language problems and unpredictable behavior. He examined her body and found abnormal clumps (now diagnoses as amyloid plaques). These clumps are now considered one of the main features of alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s is a disease which effects the brain, memory and behavioral aspects of everyday life. It is the most common form of dementia which accounts for over two thirds of cases which are recorded. The disease was first recorded by German Doctor Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was first named by Emil Kraepelin when he mentioned It in his book “Psychiatrie” which was released in 1910. Alois first discovered Alzheimer’s disease when he noticed shrinking in the cortex of the brain and abnormal deposits of nerve cells through an autopsy on Auguste Deter.
It is estimated that between 4.5 and 5.4 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) (Vanmeter. P. 376). AD is a progressive disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Changes with Alzheimer’s Disease are degenerative and results in gross atrophy of the cerebral cortex. The disease destroys brain cells which causes two types of abnormalities; neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques (orange book p. 212). Neurofibrillary tangles cause death of neurons, which contributes to the development of dementia. Amyloid plaque disrupts transmission of nerve impulses. It is not clear if the plaque causes AD or a by-product of the AD process causes it. (212 orange).
The mechanism of the disease is largely unknown but the amyloid cascade hypothesis is the basis for the pathophysiology of AD. According to Armstrong “senile plaques (SPs) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) have been regarded as the “signature” pathological lesions of Alzheimer’s