How Does Alzheimer's Disease Affect The Short-Term Memory?

Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. The changes of Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok the rate of

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder, in which one progressively loses memory, thinking skills, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia also called senile dementia, and two thirds of dementia cases are from Alzheimer’s disease (ZZZZ). This disease usually effects the older generation, early 60s to late 60’s. According to the National Institute of Aging, over 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and it is ranked the sixth leading cause of death (ZZZZ). This disease is caused by changes in the brain. Researchers noted these changes were a buildup of abnormal plaques called, amyloid plaques, a lost connection between nerve cells and the brain, and also fibers in the brain become tangled. Also this is a genetic disease, and environmental factors also play a role in the onset of this disease. These characteristics are said to cause the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (ZZZ). Alzheimer’s disease has many onset symptoms. The most common symptoms of this disease are memory loss and confusion. Examples of this is asking the same question and not realizing it, and not remembering where things are. These symptoms progressively worsen to the person forgetting who their family members are, and eventually not being able to function on their own.

The loss of cognitive function is associated with fewer nerve cells and synapses than the normal brain. The neurons demise is thought to be from the formation of plaques and tangles. The formation of these plaques and tangles can begin many years before the person becomes symptomatic of AD. The formation of plagues comes from the breaking down of a protein in the cell membrane into protein fragments called beta-amyloid. The YouTube video, NIH: Unraveling the Mystery of Alzheimer's Disease, provides a clear animation how the beta-amyloid plaques are formed as these sticky fragments begin to clump together. (National Institutes of Health, 2011) The video shows another protein called tau, involved with formation of tangles. The tau protein is instrumental in the transport of food molecules, parts of cells, and key building materials and is compared to a railroad track system. The tracks become unraveled and form tangles. In the earliest stages of the disease, the plaques, and tangles form deep inside the brain in the medial areas where learning and memory are formed, then progresses toward areas where thinking and planning occur as the neurons begin to die. Because of the billions and billions of cells in the neuron forest, the damages caused by the plaques and tangles may go undetected and be asymptomatic for

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.

Do you know what alzheimer’s disease is? Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth leading cause of death in ages 65 and older. “2010 Alzheimer 's Disease Facts and Figures. Rep. Vol. 6. Chicago: Alzheimer 's Association, 2010. Print. Alzheimer 's and Dementia.” This disease is the deterioration of the brain that can, and probably will lead to brain loss that cannot be reversed. It is a very slow decline that can last years. Alzheimer’s usually targets short-term memory first, and can eventually impair thinking and reasoning later on, which will eventually cause problems with communication and daily living.

     Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is the lost of thinking, remembering and reasoning so bad it screws up ability to do daily functions and eventually resolves in death. Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s first discovered the disease in 1906. Since then research has developed a deeper understanding of the changes in the brain. Warning sign’s of Alzheimer's are memory loss that affects home and job skills, problem in speaking, poor judgment, and difficulty in learning. The last stage of Alzheimer's disease is when you’re unable to take care of

Once the disease hits the hypothalamus life expectancy is greatly reduced because a person becomes unable to tell when they need sustenance. This is all caused by abnormal deposits of proteins from amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, and once-healthy neurons stop functioning, lose connections with other neurons, and die (Site this). Finally the brain has shrunk and damage is widespread throughout the brain.

Many are mistaken and believe that a person with Alzheimer’s cannot remember anything. Instead it is a declining memory that is typically shown primarily in the loss of short term memories. Short term memories can be measured in minutes or days, for example remembering a meal you had recently or what movie you watched during the day. Strangely, Alzheimer’s Disease doesn’t affect the part of your brain that stores long-term memories, meaning one may remember the address of the first house they lived in when they were five years old, but not the address of their current

Cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease occurs when synapses, which transmit information from one neuron to another, become interrupted and communication ceases (7). The result is death of the nerve cell within the brain, also referred to as synaptic failure (6). Synaptic failure takes place when amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangles develop (7). Amyloid plaque develops from amyloid beta proteins, which are released by enzymes from the amyloid precursor protein that is located on the surface of the neuron (7). The amyloid beta proteins are normally cleared within the body once they are released however, in

A neurodegenerative disease is when the central nervous system progressively deteriorates thus causing nervous system dysfunction. Neurodegenerative conditions are characterised by the change in the neurone function within the brain cells. Alzheimers disease(AD) can be classified as a neurodegenerative disorder, (Griffin & W.S.T 2006). The pathology of alzheimer’s disease has been described as a person having neural plaques within the brain, they are made up of high levels of protein β-amyloid, and this causes neurofibrillary tangles and cholinergic nerve degeneration. Early onset of AD presents symptoms of forgetfulness and anxiety which can in later years produce a total dependency on ones carer and lead to having no awareness on the

Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain and its memory function. It is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is most prevalent in older persons, but sometimes may present itself in persons younger than 65 (early onset). In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 200,000 people have early onset (Alzheimer’s Association). The risk for Alzheimer’s disease increases as a person ages. Memory, along with personality changes, and motor skills decrease in persons who have Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America).

These plaques mess up the brain cells by choking the brain cells and snapping the connections between them. Consequently, it leads to the death of the brain cells.

• Visual Agnosia. A person cannot recognize people or objects even though there is no abnormality of the eyes or the visual system.

Phonagnosia: inability to recognise a familer voices even if they are able to hear and understand the words used

Alzheimer’s disease is a precursor to a more advance type of dementia. It is characterized by memory loss and deficit in brain functioning. According to Delagarza in his article entitled, “Pharmacologic Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: An Update,” Alzheimer’s disease is associated with the development of tangles and senile plaques in the brain that destroys the function of the nervous system. He added that the loss of connections between neurons due to these tangles and plaques hinder the transmission of messages to all parts of the body (Delagarza, 2016).