The Nervous System Of Alzheimer 's Disease

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

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and a complex network of neurons. This system is responsible for sending, receiving, and interpreting information from all parts of the body. The nervous system monitors and coordinates internal organ function and responds to changes in the external environment. This system can be divided into two parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Let 's take a look at the central nervous system.

1.1 Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of diseases that affect memory, behaviour and motor skills. The causes vary depending on the disease but largely the presence of “plaques” and “tangles” on the neurons of the brain is found in people with Alzheimer’s. Plaques are protein that the body no longer breaks down and allows to build up; these get between the neurons and disrupt the message transmission. Tangles destroy a vital cell transport system made of proteins. The transport system is organised in orderly parallel strands like rail tracks. In healthy areas a protein call “tau” helps the tracks stay straight but in areas where tangles

Alzheimer’s disease is a common problem in today’s society and within the older population this disease makes up the largest form of dementia. Although it is a problem in mainly older people, this disease can still occur in the younger population also. People in their 30s-50s can be diagnosed with this disease, even though it is not as common as people in their 60s-90s. The number of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. is close to five million and is expected to double within the next 30 years. With our modern medicine and advancements one would think a cure would be available, however, getting to the cause of the disease is a major factor. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is one that is very debatable and questionable and most likely is a result of multiple factors rather than one. The main issue with finding the cause is because this disease affects the brain and can

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 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 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.

In the early stages of this disease Reagan stated; "I have begun the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life." Research has been underway for years and years. One of the more promising avenues entertains the idea that these amyloid plaque proteins are the cause of changes in the brain. "The damage occurs when neurons congregate and form protein masses called amyloids that are water-soluble in normal brains but undergo structural changes and can't be dissolved in Alzheimer's patients. The masses disrupt nerve cell functions and begin to cause symptoms such as the loss of short-term memory. The deterioration of the brain is accompanied by a drop-off in the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a key role in cognitive functioning" (p.444). I do believe that these amyloid plaques do play a role in the changes observed. These tangles and plaques are kind of the tell-tale sign that Alzheimer's is present. The missing piece to the puzzle is, What gets the ball rolling? What causes these changes to occur? I am confident that if we can find the answers to these questions, that we can find a cure.

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.

Alzheimer's and dementia is one of the many diseases that affects the nervous system, particularly the brain. Acute memory loss is known as dementia. Thus, Alzheimer's is a severe form of dementia. The diagnosis is the brain lacking brain cells and connections due to degradation. Symptoms of Alzheimer's includes memory loss which can range from minor to severe as well as confusion which directly corresponds to memory loss. Groups of nerves work together to focus on specific jobs such as communication and memory. The brain cells work together and “receive supplies, generate energy, construct equipment and get rid of waste.” Alzheimer's is believed to prevent parts of the cell to not function properly. Scientists are not thoroughly sure where the cells malfunction begins. As the cell continues to divide and spread, the infected cells begin to die off leading to damaged brain connections. Scientists believe that plaques and tangles are the cause of the disease. Plaques are “deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that build up in the spaces between nerve cells.” Tangles are “twisted fibers of another protein called tau that build up inside cells.” Age results in developed plaques and tangles though, Alzheimer patients have an abnormal amount of these

Alzheimer‘s disease disrupts the regular functioning of the brain, bringing about dementia (Patterson et al., 2008). A patient’s mental clarity, memory, and sometimes language abilities progressively decline with time. The disease brings about physical changes inside the brain, whereby certain regions of brain matter enlarge while others shrink. When brain parts enlarge or shrink, the normal links inside get broken, interrupting

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.

Plaques. A protein called beta-amyloid accumulates and forms sticky clumps of amyloid plaque between nerve cells (neurons). Reduced levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine are associated with high levels of beta amyloid. (Neurotransmitters are chemical couriers in the brain.) Acetylcholine is part of the cholinergic system, which is critically and increasingly destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease.

These plaques are made out of nerve cells surrounded by dying neurons. The same beta amyloid is a splice from a larger protein called amyloid precursor protein (Qué es la enfermedad de Alzheimer?, n.d., para. 5).

The research into Alzheimer's Disease has come a long way since 1906 when it is was discovered by Alois Alzheimer. He detected microscopic brain tissue changes called senile and neuritic plaques in deceased patients. These are chemical deposits consisting of protein molecules called Amyloid Precursor Protein(APP) that are fundamental components of a normal brain. However in the brain of an Alzheimer patient, an enzyme cuts the APP apart and leaves fragments in the brain tissue. These combined with degenerating nerve cells cause the plaques or lesions. These lesions are found in many sections of the brain including the hippocampus which regulates emotion and memory, the basal forebrain, and especially the basal nucleus of Meynert and the cortex, where the memory function is located.(2) Another sign of a diseased brain are neurofibrillary tangles, which are malformations within nerve cells.