What Is The Cause Of 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.

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.

Even though people are free of symptoms during the pre-clinical stages, toxic changes are taking place in the brain. MRI scans show that the brains of people who are in the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease are forming thick clumps of hard proteins called beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. The damage quickly spreads to a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is responsible for forming and storing memories. As the disease progresses, the brain begins to shrink and wither as nerve cells die and nerve connections are lost. By the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease the damage is widespread and brain tissue has atrophied and shrunk significantly and victims are unable to perform even the simplest of tasks. (Alzheimer’s Disease;

Alzheimer’s is defined as “A degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late middle age or in old age, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood…” (Webster). The Alzheimer’s Association states that more than 5 million American are currently living with Alzheimer’s. It is also the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease of the brain that causes gradual loss of memory, judgement and ability to function. This age-related, non-reversible brain disorder develops over a period of years. This disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. He had noticed changes in the brain tissue of a women who had died of an unknown mental illness. Alzheimer’s usually appears in people over the age of 65 but earlier stages of Alzheimer’s is created throughout adulthood. The early stages of Alzheimer’s is yet unknown but the damages to the brain is said to be caused up to a decade earlier before the problems become evident. Amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neurons, being the loss of connection between nerve cells, are the main features in Alzheimer’s disease. Abnormal deposits of protein form amyloid plaques and tangles throughout the brain and the at once healthy brain begins to work less efficiently. Over this time, neurons then lose the ability to function and communicate with each other and they eventually end up dying. The damage caused by this soon spreads to a near structure in the brain called Hippocampus. Hippocampus plays important roles in the the brain such as long-term memory. As more and more neurons tend to die, the affected parts of the brain begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, the damage has spread throughout the affected patient’s brain and the patient’s brain tissue has significantly shrunk. Alzheimer’s disease can also be

Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain cells affecting memory, changes in thinking, and other mental functions. In addition, it is the most common form of dementia and generally develops slowly and gradually gets worse as brain function declines and cells start to degenerate and die (4). In 1906, Alois Alzheimer, a German physician noticed psychological changes in some individuals so he further observed their brains during an autopsy and noticed a significant difference in brain size along with abnormal deposits in the brain tissue (1). Today Alzheimer’s is considered an epidemic, but is spreading rapidly on a global scale making it a global problem too (2). Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is fatal,

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that gradually memory and thinking skills, and in the end the capacity to complete the easiest tasks. It is depicted by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1905 which the sickness was named after him. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, dialect issues and capricious conduct. After she died, Dr. Alzheimer chose to analyze her cerebrum and discovered numerous unusual clusters which is currently known as amyloid plaque and tangles of strands otherwise called neurofibrillary or tangles. This ailment intensifies with propelling age, despite the fact that there is no

These physical changes begin to take effect long before the first symptoms appear, which suggests that it could be possible for screenings in the future to be able to detect and begin treatment for Alzheimer’s before it ever manifests symptoms. The two primary happenings that cause damage in the brain are the buildup of plaque and complications with nerve fibers called tangles. While most people develop a small amount of these over time, people with Alzheimer’s tend to develop much more. It is believed that the buildup of plaque and tangles interferes with the neurons’ ability to communicate with one another, and ultimately results in the death of the cells. The plaques, being a buildup of the protein beta-amyloid, gathers in the spaces between neurons while the tangles are a result of a twisting of an internal protein fiber called “tau”. In the end, these processes are the cause of the extreme memory loss and ultimately

Alzheimer’s is described as a type of disease that causes mental illness, which causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior of an individual. It is a deterioration of the nervous system especially the neurons in the brain. Alzheimers’ is the result of mutations on genes. Specifically, familial alzheimer’s is caused by a mutation in the gene coding for the amyloid precursor protein (APP) on chromosome 21q.When this gene is modified, a toxic protein fragment called amyloid beta peptide are produced in the brain. This peptide builds up in the brain and form amyloid plaques. The accumulation of this “amyloid beta peptide and amyloid plaque,” can lead to a great deal of death of nerve cells and progression of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (Genetics Home Reference, paragraph 6).

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and currently affects over five million US citizens. It is estimated 35 million people suffer with AD world wide, with incidences increasing rapidly. It is projected by the year 2050, cases of AD will nearly double. After symptoms become noticeable, those with Alzheimers have an average of eight years to live before it takes their lives. Although there are variety of known factors contributing to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compelling evidence for the causes and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are being discovered in the realm of nutrition. Simply put, Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia. Dementia is the loss of both memory

“Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States”(“2015 Alzheimer’s…”). Today, more and more individuals are diagnosed with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This disease is not curable and the symptoms get worse over a period of time. After a closer investigation on the causes, symptoms, effects, diagnosis, and treatments, one discovers the severity of this dreaded disease and how it is managed.

Description: Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain’s neurons resulting in loss of memory, skills, and normal behaviors. The affected neurons produce the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. However, when affected by the disease, acetylcholine connections break and kill the cells. The location of the dying neurons correspond with the symptoms that appear. The most obvious example of this would be the dying of neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for short term memory. Once the neurons inside the hippocampus die, a patient with Alzheimer’s will not be able to make new memories. Along with the dying of neurons, another cause can be plaque and tangles in the brain. Beta-Amyloid plaque

Alzheimer’s Disease was first described over 100 years ago by Alois Alzheimer in Germany, characterising the first case with memory impairments and the presence of neuropathological plaques and tangles, which today, are major indications of the disease.² Progressive memory loss is the clinical trademark of AD but eventually, cognitive function also deteriorates.³ The neuropathological trademarks of AD involve the accumulation of β amyloid (Aβ) proteins expressed as plaques and the phosphorylation of tau proteins expressed as neurofibrillary tangles.³ The formation of these plaques and tangles are estimated to begin 20 years before clinical symptoms arise.² MRI studies have shown the association of AD with hippocampal atrophy, however, it remains difficult to distinguish from other forms of dementia.⁴

Socially it has a lot of impact not only on the mother but also to the victim with the disease. The disease was not passed down from the parents, but rather developed from a random mutation in the gene. Few people struggle with this disease and it’s quite rare, making it hard for others to understand it. People may not be fully aware of the symptoms or causes, creating an indifference in people’s thoughts. People may humiliate or isolate these people due to the lack of awareness of the disease, and culturally people judge one another based on appearance.

The brain contains 100 trillion synapses. They allow signals to travel rapidly and constantly through the brain’s circuits, creating the cellular basis of memories, thoughts, sensations, emotions, movements and skills. In Alzheimer’s disease, information transfer at synapses will begin to fail, the number of synapses decreases and neurons eventually die. The accumulation of beta-amyloid outside neurons will interfere with the neuron-to-neuron communication of