Cellular Research : Alzheimer 's Disease

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 systemic disease, meaning that it affects more than one part of the body. There are three major systems that are affected by Alzheimer’s. The first involves the Central Nervous System. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, allowing the nervous system to make the spinal cord and brain function. The Central Nervous System is affected because specific brain proteins begin to malfunction and brain cells die. The loss of brain cells is the reason for memory loss and

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.

It is a gradual neurological disease of the brain that causes irreversible problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. It begins in the part of the brain that affects learning, otherwise known as the hippocampus. Usually these microscopic changes in the brain begin long before the first signs start appearing. Studies have shown that as early as a decade before the first symptoms appear, a person with Alzheimer’s will already be undergoing neurological damage. Although researchers still do not know the exact cause of the disease, they have discovered what happens within the brain when a person is affected with Alzheimer’s. They believe that two different proteins are responsible for the death and damage of nerve cells. Plaques and tangles. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta- amyloid that build

Alzheimer’s is a disease that attacks the nervous system, more specifically, the brain. What Alzheimer’s disease does, is degenerate brain cells, it is a progressive disease which means that it gets worse over time (Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet. 2011). Alzheimer’s starts with short term memory loss and eventually can affect the rest of the body, making it harder for the body to function properly, this disease leads to death when in an advanced stage. This Disease currently has no cure (Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet. 2011).

Alzheimer primarily affects the brain and is essentially cause by brain cell death. Brain damage occurs years before symptoms appear as Alzheimer causes a disruption in metabolic processes that keeps neurons healthy. This disruption prevents nerve cells from communicating with one

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. As time goes on the symptoms get worse and unfortunately there are no cures available for Alzheimer’s. However, there are ways to “control” it.

In people with Alzheimer’s, the neurons become disabled. For starters, Alzheimer’s interferes with the neurons ability to produce energy they need to do their work, a process known as metabolism. Neurons derive energy from the oxygen and glucose which is available through the bloodstream. Without this energy, neurons can no longer communicate with each other and carry impulses to other neurons. They also lose the ability to repair themselves, which ultimately causes them to die. Exactly what interferes with the functioning of the neurons is unclear, and the rate at which the disease progresses also varies from one person to another. Neuofibrillary tangles which is a tau protein that gives neurons their structure by binding to microtubules in a cell and

Ultimately, Alzheimer’s Disease affects your your entire brain. The cortex shrivels up, making it hard to think, plan, or remember important things. The brain overall also begins to shrink in size. This shrinkage effects the hippocampus the most. The hippocampus is the area of the cortex that plays a big role in the creation of new memories. Ultimately the disease affects the function of the entire body as it causes the degeneration of brain tissue and nerve cells, it makes it harder for the brain to communication with the body and to function

Scientists are uncertain about the role of plaques and tangles in Alzheimer's disease however, most believe they play a critical role in blocking communication among nerve cells and disrupt the processes that these cells need to survive. It's the destruction and death of nerve cells that causes memory failure, personality changes, problems carrying out daily activities and other symptoms of Alzheimer's

According to Lu and Bludau, Alzheimer’s influences many aspects such as the organ system, tissue, cells, and organelles. The organ system affected is the brain, which performs numerous crucial tasks. This disease impinges on the control center for all bodily functions. The vital body function that the disease affects in the brain consist of: thinking, seeing, hearing, breathing, and body movements. It hinders storing and making of memories and hinders the aptitude to feel emotions.

Alzheimer 's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain 's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes. These neurons, which produce the brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, break connections with other nerve cells and ultimately die. For example, short-term memory fails when Alzheimer 's disease first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus, and language skills and judgment decline when neurons die in the cerebral cortex. Two types of abnormal lesions clog the brains of individuals with Alzheimer 's disease: Beta-amyloid plaques—sticky clumps of protein fragments and cellular material that form outside and around neurons; and neurofibrillary tangles—insoluble twisted fibers composed largely of the protein tau that build up inside nerve cells. Although these structures are hallmarks of the disease, scientists are unclear whether they cause it or a byproduct of it. Origin of the term

Alzheimer’s causes degeneration of brain tissue and nerve cells. With less nerve cells present, it becomes harder for the brain to communicate with the body and function properly.

Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease.

In the brain, neurons connect and communicate at synapses, where tiny bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters carry information from one cell to another. Alzheimer's interrupts this process, eventually destroys synapses, and kills neurons damaging the brain's communication network. As the illness progresses, different stages build up. Through the early stage plaques and tangles, abnormal clusters of protein fragments, build up between cells and twisted strands of another protein, form in the planning and learning brain areas causing patients to suffer light memory loss about simple things they learn like new names or data. After this, during the mid stage, care and help will be needed in some of the everyday tasks because planning and learning will be badly compromised. At the same moment, during this stage, plaques and tangles are created in the speaking and speech part of the cerebrum. Finally, during the late stage, individuals lose the ability to respond or interact with their