Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
11 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What is Alzheimer’s? |
Progressive brain disease which is the most common cause of dementia |
|
|
What are the pathological causes of Alzheimer’s? |
1) beta amyloid plaques 2) neurofibrillary tangles |
|
|
What would the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s look like? |
1) cortical atrophy (brain shrinks) 2) death of neurons due to loss of neuronal communication 3) enlarged ventricles |
|
|
What neurotransmitter does a person with Alzheimer’s lack? |
Acetylcholine |
|
|
What does clumps of beta-amyloid plaques cause? |
- interfere with cell to cell communication (block synapses) - triggers inflammation (immune cells destroy disabled neurons = decreased acetylcholine) |
|
|
What problems do neurofibrillary tangles cause? |
Tau proteins no longer hold the microtubules of neurons in place, they break away and get tangled up which prevents nutrients from being transporting to the next cell = CELL DEATH |
|
|
What is the normal function of tau protein? |
Hold microtubules together (the railways of the neurons that allow transport of nutrients) |
|
|
What is the drug used to lessen symptoms/slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s? |
Cholinesterase inhibitors e.g. donepezil/aricept |
|
|
Why do people with alzheimers have less acetylcholine? |
- have low levels of acetylcholine due to destruction of neurons - acetylcholinesterase eats up acetylcholine leading to an even lower level |
|
|
How do cholinesterase inhibitors work? |
Donepezil and Aricept work by stopping acetylcholinesterase enzyme from eating by acetylcholine in the synapses = more acetylcholine which increases number of cells in the brain that are able to communicate |
|
|
What is the function of acetylcholine? |
Helps neurons to communicate and needed for memory |
