After the first Aβ deposits it has the ability to physically stimulate further deposition of other Aβ peptides, leading to additional reorganization and formation of neuritic plaques. According to Cummings et al., once the plaques are mature they are able to activate the neighboring tissue, including microglia and astrocytes, culminating in neuronal damage and synaptic dysfunction. This pathological scenario is thought to be a result of oxidative injury and phosphorylation linked to the presence of the plaques as well as the accumulation of the tau tangles (Lamberts et al.,…
Beta-secretase (BACE1) is a transmembrane proteolytic enzyme that cuts amyloid precursor protein (APP) which results in the formation of beta-amyloid plaque. BACE1 is found embedded within the cell membrane of neurons. In Alzheimer's patients, BACE1 replaces alpha-secretase cutting APP in a different location which results in the formation beta-amyloid plaques. Beta-amyloid plaques bind together forming insoluble lesions which contribute to the degeneration of the brain. Inhibition of BACE1 will eliminate the formation of beta-amyloid plaque.…
Dementia is diagnosed by the presence of symptoms such as problems with memory, thinking, problem solving, language disturbances and psychological changes. Neurodegenerative changes within the brain, such as neuron death and a build-up of misplaced proteins are causal to the aforementioned symptoms. While an in depth understanding of the neurobiology of dementia has not been established, dementia diseases are characterized by the grade of neuron loss and the irreversible damage within the connections of the brain, combined with the resulting symptoms (Caberlotto and Nguyen, 2014). One of the most common forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, occurs as a result of chemical and degenerative structural changes within the brain. Dementia can also be caused by a number of conditions such as vascular dementia following a stroke, fronto-temporal dementia caused by brain injury or Korsakoff’s syndrome, which is associated with long term excessive drinking.…
Mice were given the mutated amyloid precursor protein and the result of that was that there were some small memory differences but there were no symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease like neurofibrillary tangles or synaptic loss (Herrup, 2015). This explanation could show that although the amyloid precursor protein could be associated with memory, but it is not connected to Alzheimer’s disease in a way that it kills the…
Oxidative stress has been shown to stimulate sphingomyelinase (SMase), which converts SM to CM [3;49](Alessenko et al. , 2004;Malaplate-Armand et al., 2006). CM, a second messenger and regulator of apoptosis, stabilizes β secretase activity [36;36](He et al., 2010). In AD, increased CM levels regulate β and γ secretases and amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing on lipid rafts [69](Vetrivel et al., 2004). Mislocalization of β and γ secretase to lipid rafts in post Golgi rather than lysosomes can promote Aβ accumulation [69](Vetrivel et al., 2004).…
Being the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S makes Alzheimer’s a common disease among older adults. Alzheimer’s is a continuous neurological disease that affects an individual’s memory, orientation and judgement. While damage begins to spread throughout the brain many abilities are lost. Cells lose the ability to perform these functions and end up making irreversible changes to the individual’s brain. Since Alzheimer’s is also a form of dementia it worsens over time.…
Though Alzheimer’s is a disease that afflicts people of all ages, the frequency of which this disease forms increases along with age. So, it is only natural that as the…
Alzheimer’s is most known because of it is unpredictable effects it has on different people. It is overwhelming confusion in today’s medicine field leaves experts speculating and wondering what this condition is truly capable of in terms of destruction of the mind and body. This disease’s history, symptoms, and treatments all apart of what makes this disease so horrifying, wondrous, and confusing. History…
Alzheimer’s disease has a drastic impact on the human population, being one of the most common causes of death. With research less funded than cancer, there are many gaps to be filled. The cure to the disease has not been found yet, however, it is not feasible for me to accomplish such task. I began to look into the causes of Alzheimer’s, and found that research has died down in this area.…
Alzheimer 's disease Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and other systems of the body. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord. The digestive system is affected by Alzheimer 's, this system includes; the mouth with salivary glands and teeth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines, rectum, and anus. The Urinary system includes the kidneys, ureter, urinary bladder, and the urethra. The neuromuscular system is affected as the disease progresses, this includes the nerves and muscles of the body.…
Pathophysiology The ultimate cause of Alzheimer’s is currently unknown, but there are two basic problems that scientists think cause Alzheimer’s to develop. The first problem is plaques. Plaques are clumps of protein called beta amyloid. The plaques damage and destroy brain cells, sometimes interfering…
Health Issue Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible and progressive brain cell degenerative disease that causes a steady decline in memory and mental functioning (“Overview,” 2015). As the most common form of dementia, the causes of Alzheimer’s disease may vary and result from a combination of multiple disorders that alter brain changes such as, clumping of amyloid plaques, tangled neurofibrillary or loss of connections between nerve cells in the brain (“Alzheimer's Disease,” n.d.). Currently, Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. The Alzheimer’s Association states that there are more than 5 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States and 35 million people worldwide.…
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), was discovered as senile form of dementia in early 1907 by Alois Alzheimer in 1907. Since then the disease has been researched and studied to generate a knowledge base of symptoms, etiology, pathogenesis, treatment and management of the disease. AD is differentiated from senile dementia due to the neurodegenerative process which involves deposits of protein known as amyloid in neurons and neurofibrillary tangles which form plaques. This formation of plaques leads to neuron death and the hardening of tissue leads to progressive and terminal neurological disease state. There has been no cure to Alzheimer’s disease to the complexity of disease and the lack of understanding of amyloid protein and its process.…
Currently there are five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, thus meaning that every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops this memory-snatching disease (). As a matter of fact, Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and kills more than breast and prostate cancer combined (). With these growing statistics, the high stakes of finding a cure is becoming incredibly increased. However, in order for a cure to be discovered the origin of this disease must first be identified.…
The leading factor to cell death and tissue loss of a brain affected by Alzheimer’s is plaques and tangles. These dead nerve cells made up of another protein are known as tangles. In the areas where tangles are formed nutrients and other necessities can no longer move through the cells. This causes a build up of a protein, beta-amyloid, between nerve cells known as plaques. . (Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics)…