Reducing Alzheimer's Disease

The FDA recently has allowed two treatments to be used for Alzheimer patients. One of the treatments is a Partial Glutamate Antagonist, which is an important transmitter to the brain. It is said that Glutamate helps patients more than sugar pills do, however; it is said that too much

They studied this drug over the course of two months by comparing a group of normal mice to two groups that have been engineered to emulate symptoms of Alzheimer’s such as the memory loss and presences amyloid plaques in the brain among others. One of these groups was treated with the TA while the other was not.

Alzheimer’s disease affects the lives of over 5 million Americans today. The cost that it has placed on the U.S is a staggering $203 million dollars. Researchers have reported that those numbers are expected to triple by 2050. However draining that this disease may seem, the real question is whether there is a solution. To this day there is still no cure to stop or even slow down th progression of the brain disease but there are treatments that help cover the symptoms. While the majority of the people who suffer from Alzheimer is generally over the age of 65, about 200,000, of the estimated 5 million, are in the age range of 30-40.

Dementia is a progressive process, with the symptoms and decline in function often worsening, sometimes rapidly, overtime. Although the elderly population are most frequently affected, many younger patients can also be affected. Currently, no cure, be it medical or behavioural, has been isolated, however certain treatments have proved beneficial in delaying the onset or staying off further rapid deterioration. In addition to pharmaceutical treatment modalities, other support and managerial techniques may enable n enhanced quality of life.

Alzheimer’s: Scientists know that during Alzheimer’s two abnormal proteins build in the brain. They form clumps called either ‘plaques’ or ‘tangles’. These plaques and tangles interfere with how brain cells work and communicate with each other. The plaques are usually first seen in the area of the brain that makes new memories. A lot of research is focused on finding ways to stop these proteins in their tracks and protect brain cells from harm.

“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in elderly people which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases (Krishnan, D. S.)”. World Health Organization indicated that Alzheimer’s disease is the “6th leading cause of death in the

Alzheimer’s disease is a prominent brain disease that effects a massive amount of individuals in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases, with no chance of being cured, prevented or decelerating over time (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). AD is the most well-known form of dementia, causing complications in brain function in the areas of memory, thinking, and behavior (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers create new knowledge about the disease, which is then distributed to the public. The goal in this information disbursement is to find new and inventive ways to treat AD, prevent AD from progressing at such a rapid pace, and aid in the quality of life in those diagnosed with AD as well as caregivers and medical professionals providing treatment to individuals’ with AD.

Alzheimer 's disease (AD) was discovered by a German doctor Alois Alzheimer in 1906 when he found amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the autopsy of a woman who died of an unknown mental disease. The extracellular amyloid plaque deposits, composed of insoluble amyloid-Beta peptide were hypothesized to be the main etiological factor. “The most important abnormality is an excess of Amyloid-beta peptides brought about through either overproduction or failure in degradation.” (Uzun, Kozumplik, & Folnegović-Smalc, 2011) Later, it was discovered that intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyper-phosphorylated, helically-paired tau

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease normally affecting the elderly population and is progressive in nature causing degeneration that leads to impairments in memory, reasoning, planning, and behaviour. It is a neurodegenerative disorder that adversely affects neurons in the brain, ultimately resulting in loss of memory and language, behavioural disturbances, and dependence on caregivers (Phillips, Baktir, Das, Lin & Salehi, 2015, p. 1047). Alzheimer’s has 3

With the growing number of people becoming diagnosed, and experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, we must begin to take precautions and somehow attempt to gain knowledge of how the disease can be better treated, and ultimately prevented.

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.

There are more than 5 million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s and it causes 500,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone. This disease is growing quickly, by the year 2050 it is expected that there will be 16 million people diagnosed with it in the U.S. and 100 million worldwide. The goal is to overcome this disease by the year 2025, which is possible, but very challenging. A neurologist at Harvard Medical School, by the name of Rudolph Tanzi said, “We will be able to identify those most at risk based on their genetics, do imaging tests to determine the onset and then institute therapies that nip it in the bud”(Marsa). This is great news because it will help the doctors get a jumpstart on those who are at risk of getting the disease. Memory loss is the main issue of Alzheimer’s which is caused by tangles in the brain. Without the tangles there is no disease, the tangles are what cause it. Alzheimer’s also causes shrinkage to the brain. Moving ahead with a cure, researcher need to figure out how the protective mutant gene works, making a treatment to copy what it does

Contrary to what many people believe, getting Alzheimer's is NOT a normal or natural part of aging. Yet, each year, there are more than 3 million people in the US diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Although, there is no real “cause” for this disease, factors that may contribute to it include age and family history, environmental components, particular genes (APOE-e4 or ADAD are the strongest risk genes), immune system complications, and protein deposits located in the brain. Therefore, since there is

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Unfortunately, unlike other forms of dementia Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that involves memory loss, thought and language which can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), “as many as 5 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms of the disease first appear after age 60 and the risk increases with age. Younger people may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is less common. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to 14 million, a nearly three-fold increase. Although scientists are learning more every day, unfortunately

The third drug is Galantomine. This drug is also prescribed for mild to moderate cases as well . It is a cholinesterase inhibitor meaning it does almost the same as the previous drug because it controls certain substances in the brain (Johnson, 2009). Alzheimer’s Disease is the degeneration of the cerebral cortex resulting in diffuse cortical atrophy (Johnson, 2009). The three main brain parts that Alzheimer’s disease affects are the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). When the inflammation and build-up gets to those parts of the brain it starts to break down the tissue , and when this happens brain cells decrease and neuronal loss begins (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014).