“There is one thing Alzheimer 's cannot take away, and that is love. Love is not a memory - it 's a feeling that resides in your heart and soul.” (Fade to Blank). The human brain is a remarkably complex organ that processes, stores, and recalls information. “Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer 's disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death.” (Crystal). It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases, and currently has no cure. (# 3) Research continues to be done to develop better ways to care for those affected with the disease, as well as to find support for family members, friends, and caregivers. Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness that is not a normal part of aging. In order to find a cure, awareness needs to increase to improve understanding, develop effective treatments, and to essentially prevent the disease. Alzheimer’s disease was discovered by Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist. The disease was initially observed in a 51-year-old woman, after her family brought her to Dr. Alzheimer with concerns about her personality and behavior. He detected many unusual symptoms, including difficulty with
Alzheimer’s disease is named after a German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer became aware of changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual
More than 30 million people are affected worldwide, Alzheimer's is the number one cause of dementia. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and essential mental functions. The brain cells and the actual cells deteriorate and die; the main symptoms are confusion and loss of mind. Dementia follows Alzheimer's; you can’t have one without the other. Dementia, on the other hand, it is not its own disease, it is a group of thinking and social symptoms that hinder everyday tasks. Over 100 years ago a German physician by the name Alois Alzheimer’s
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.
In 1906, German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer noticed one of his patients had extreme memory loss, unpredictable behavior, and difficulty speaking. Her condition continued to worsen and ultimately lead to her death. After his patient died he examined her brain, where he discovered an excessive amount of unusual clumps. This was the discovery of Alzheimer’s disease, and although Dr. Alois Alzheimer didn’t know it at the time, his discovery would be one that uncovered a dangerous future for millions of individuals around the world.
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.
The disease stem cells could fix is called Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The reason I chose this topic is because I have seen first hand how badly someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease is affected in their daily lives. This disease completely takes over their lives and they turn into a completely different person who can hardly function. AD is very tough on the loved ones of the person suffering from it because that person, most of the time has no idea what is going on or who their loved ones are. The memories for people with AD is completely gone and even the simplest tasks such as remembering to use the bathroom becomes difficult. The way stem cells could be feasible is because stem cell-based therapies could potentially treat
In the year of 1906 in Germany, a researcher named Alois Alzheimer discovered a disease that was at first overlooked by fellow scientists but years later became a rather fascinating finding - Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer was studying a fifty-one-year old woman that was admitted into Community Psychiatric Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany with some strange mental issues such as confusion, memory loss, and others by her husband who could not figure out what had happened to cause these things. She stayed at that mental hospital until her death five years after her admission. After she passed Alzheimer went ahead and performed an autopsy to her body.
Alzheimer’s Disease has been one of the top leading causes of death in our country. It is understood that this disease is identified as an excess of the protein amyloid-ß within an increase of plaque (Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, 2010). Additionally, as the brain ages, it gets used to the inflammation and oxidative stress, so it is important to take the right amount of antioxidant micronutrients like vitamin C and vitamin E as well as anti-inflammatory macronutrients such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to protect the brain from ageing (Whalley et. al, 2004). This is a devastating disease that affects most people over the age of fifty. Recently, there have been many studies done to figure out what causes this disease, if there is anything that can cure it, and how to prevent the disease. Seneff, Wainwright, and Mascitelli, believe Alzheimer’s develops with consuming too many carbohydrates, especially fructose and having a deficiency in cholesterol and dietary fats as well (2010). Whalley, Starr, and Deary have seen that poor diet, poverty, and failing health are links to developing Alzheimer’s Disease (2004). Furthermore, seeing increase in plasma homocysteine concentration increases risk of Dementia, which can result from an inadequate intake of vitamin B12/folate (Walley et. al, 2004). Additionally, Gray supports Walley’s findings and even believes having an adequate intake of vitamin B12/folate will have a positive effect on the overall health
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in the United States, with its commonness expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. Although awareness of Alzheimer's disease has increased greatly among professional and amateur audiences, exact means do not exist to calculate how many Americans the disease affects. However, it is estimated that there are over 5.1 million people aged 65 or older with probable Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s is also the sixth leading cause of death in America. Throughout, I will be addressing the issues that surround this disease: it is not an inevitable consequence of aging, the care and treatment, and end-of-life decisions. While explaining these issues, the goal is to achieve a better
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 was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915) in 1906. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia defines Alzheimer’s Disease as “progressive degenerative disorder of the brain”. One suffering Alzheimer’s may suffer with
German Physician Alois first discovered Alzheimer’s in 1906. Alois was a scientist who devoted his time in discovering different symptoms and microscopic changes in the brain. He was given a patient that had changes in her brain tissue and had died from an unusual mental illness. Some
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is an irreversible and incurable form of dementia characterized by rapid cell death, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuritic plaques (Cavanaugh, Blanchard-Fields, & Norris, 2008). Structures of the brain affected by rapid cell death includes the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex, and the forebrain (Cavanaugh et al., 2008). A definitive diagnosis of AD is made only at autopsy (Cavanaugh et al., 2008). As AD progresses, memory and ultimately self-identity are destroyed, however, interventions can improve the quality of life of older adults (Cavanaugh et al., 2008). Interventions in AD should focus on helping patients make the most effective use of their functioning (Cavanaugh et al., 2008). A non-pharmacological intervention by Bredesen (2014) appears to be restoring some cognitive function in some patients with AD (Dador, 2014). Bredesen (2014) asserts that some of the effects of cognitive decline can be reversed through his therapeutic program. Jimbo, Kimura, Taniguchi, Inoue, and Urakami (2009) also assert the potential of non-pharmacological interventions. They found that aromatherapy has the potential to improve cognitive function. Other non-pharmacological interventions such as exercise or physical activity (PA) have been studied for their effects in cognitive decline (Farina, Rusted, & Tabet, 2014; Tortosa-Martinez & Clow, 2012). This paper explores the effects of non-pharmacological interventions in cognitive decline associated with AD.
Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe
In a study that was done called aging, demographics and memory study (ADAMS) it was found that older African Americans are two times more likely than older whites to develop Alzheimer or any other dementia. Some of the reasons that have been discovered as to why older African Americans are more common to have Alzheimer’s is because they are found to have higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, along with other vascular diseases. Some other factors that can affect who may end up with Alzheimer’s are lower level of education, and socioeconomic characteristics which are found to be more common in African Americans. In the health and retirement study (HRS) 80% of African Americans were found to have high blood pressure. Other risks that have been found to have increased risk of Alzheimer’s are those with lower educations, low income being below $18,000 a year, and