The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

As we age, both our bodies and minds start to change. Some occasional slowed thinking or trouble remembering could be normal with aging but major changes in the brain, critical memory loss and confusion could be a sign that there are cells failing or plaque building up on the brain. There are two kinds of unusual formations called plaques and tangles which are responsible for damaging and killing cells in the brain. Alzheimer’s is an irreversible and debilitating disease that affects the human brain by destroying memory and restricting the victim from carrying out the most simple tasks. Alzheimer’s is a disease that starts out slow and then over time gets worse. It is a form of dementia. Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental …show more content…
When more neurons in the brain die, the damage spreads, shrinking other parts of the brain. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, the damage is among all parts of the brain and the tissue has shrunk a significant amount. The gene apolipoprotein E or the APOE-e4 is involved in late-onset alzheimer’s. This gene has several forms including increasing the risk of developing alzheimer’s or earlier age of accumulating the disease. Although the gene increases the risk of getting the disease, it doesn’t mean that a person will definitely get the disease. There are two kinds of unusual formations called plaques and tangles which are responsible for damaging and killing cells in the brain. Plaques are defined as spots of protein fragments called beta-amyloid that grow in between nerve cells. The tangles are twisted fibers of a protein called tau(rhyming with wow) that build up inside cells. Scientists believe that these plaques and fibers play a crucial role in barring communication between nerve cells and making it harder for processes to be completed in the brain that are critical for cell …show more content…
A common sign of Alzheimer’s is forgetting information that is usually not forgotten, repeatedly asking for the same information over and over and relying on other people for things they could once handle alone. If there are sudden challenges in making a plan, using numbers or even concentrating, this could be an early sign of alzheimer’s. Another sign of early-onset Alzheimer’s could be confusion of dates, present happenings or not knowing their location and how they were put there. People with alzheimer’s may start to decrease their involvement in their favorite sports. They may forget how to even do their favorite