Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. This disease develops over a number of years and symptoms progress with time. It was first recognized by Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor, in 1906 after he discovered variations in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an uncommon mental illness. (“Alzheimer’s Disease”). At the time that it was first documented, it was thought to be a rare disease. Dr. Alzheimer found many amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in her brain upon investigation (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet”). Currently, Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, and it accounts for 60-80 percent of dementia cases.
There is a current belief that damage to …show more content…
These include amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and the loss of connections between the neurons responsible for memory and learning abilities (“NINDS”). In those with Alzheimer’s amyloid plaques interfere with the communication between different cells which damages and destroys brain cells. In a brain affected by neurofibrillary tangles, failure of the transport system occurs when threads of tau protein twist into abnormal tangles inside brain cells (“Alzheimer’s disease”). In the more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, the brain shrinks in size. The shrinking of the cortex, causes damage to functions such as thinking, planning and remembering. Shrinkage is also seen in the hippocampus and since it plays a key aspect in the formation of new memories, these abilities are greatly affected. Due to the Alzheimer’s, the ventricles in the brain grow …show more content…
Symptoms typically first arise in people in their mid-60’s. Early signs of Alzheimer’s include trouble remembering newly learned information. Mild or warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease includes greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. These problems include trouble performing familiar tasks, difficulty with language, wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, decreased judgment abilities, losing things or misplacing them in odd places and personality and behavior changes (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). In moderate Alzheimer’s, there is now profound damage in the areas of the brain that control language, reasoning and sensory processing. There may be increased memory loss and confusion, difficulty recognizing family and friends, inability to learn new tasks, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and impulsive behavior (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). In the severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease, individuals affected are not able to communicate and are dependent on others for their care. In this stage, symptoms include weight loss, seizures, skin infections, difficulty swallowing, groaning, moaning or grunting, sleeping more and lack of control of bowel and bladder (“About Alzheimer’s
There is a current belief that damage to …show more content…
These include amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and the loss of connections between the neurons responsible for memory and learning abilities (“NINDS”). In those with Alzheimer’s amyloid plaques interfere with the communication between different cells which damages and destroys brain cells. In a brain affected by neurofibrillary tangles, failure of the transport system occurs when threads of tau protein twist into abnormal tangles inside brain cells (“Alzheimer’s disease”). In the more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, the brain shrinks in size. The shrinking of the cortex, causes damage to functions such as thinking, planning and remembering. Shrinkage is also seen in the hippocampus and since it plays a key aspect in the formation of new memories, these abilities are greatly affected. Due to the Alzheimer’s, the ventricles in the brain grow …show more content…
Symptoms typically first arise in people in their mid-60’s. Early signs of Alzheimer’s include trouble remembering newly learned information. Mild or warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease includes greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. These problems include trouble performing familiar tasks, difficulty with language, wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, decreased judgment abilities, losing things or misplacing them in odd places and personality and behavior changes (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). In moderate Alzheimer’s, there is now profound damage in the areas of the brain that control language, reasoning and sensory processing. There may be increased memory loss and confusion, difficulty recognizing family and friends, inability to learn new tasks, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and impulsive behavior (“About Alzheimer’s Disease”). In the severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease, individuals affected are not able to communicate and are dependent on others for their care. In this stage, symptoms include weight loss, seizures, skin infections, difficulty swallowing, groaning, moaning or grunting, sleeping more and lack of control of bowel and bladder (“About Alzheimer’s