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Alzheimer’s Disease. By: Ryan Triplett. Alzheimer’s. The deterioration of intellectual capabilities, memory, judgment, and personality to the extent that daily functioning and quality of life are seriously impaired.
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Alzheimer’s Disease By: Ryan Triplett
Alzheimer’s • The deterioration of intellectual capabilities, memory, judgment, and personality to the extent that daily functioning and quality of life are seriously impaired. • Generally occurs in the elderly impairing brain function, which can lead to dementia. • Named for German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1907.
Statistics • 4 million or more cases in U.S. • 100,000 die each year. • 4th major leading cause of death in U.S. • 65 or older when symptoms can begin
Clinical Features • Loss of short-term memory and ability to create memories • Concentration on past • Loss of time • Communication diminishes • Personality changes • Delusions • Become immobilized and uncomprehending • Death due to respiratory failure • 65 and up disease lasts 8-20 years • 65 and down disease lasts 5-10 years disease more rapid
Histological Analysis3 distinctive neuropathological features • Devastating losses of synapses and neurons within hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. • Dense spherical structures, called senile plaques (SP), prevalent outside the neurons of the hippocampus and other regions of the brain. • Aggregations of fibrils (Neurofibrillary tangles, NFT) accumulate within cell bodies and dendritic processes of the neurons of the hippocampus, neurocortex, entorhinal cortex, and other brain parts.
Senile Plaques • Densely packed fibrous structures called amyloid bodies. • Consists of mainly protein, 4-kDa peptide. • Many isoforms make up the amyloid proteins. • Amyloid precursor protein another source of which can lead to AD. Functional role unknown.
Neurofibrillary Tangles • Consist of helical filaments called PHF. • Intertwined protein strands made of tau protein molecules. • Formation of NFT’s not unique to AD. • Found in many other neurodegenerative disorders with dementias, affecting the brain. • Scientists believe that the amyloid proteins lead to the formation of the neurofibrillary tangles, and both can lead to AD symptoms.
Diagnosis • Only definitive way is to use brain scans (CT) to see plaques or tangles in brain tissue. • Tests used to exclude other diseases.
Treatments • No treatment can prevent Alzheimer’s • Drugs for early stages • Cognax, Aricept, Exelon, or Razadyne • Severe stages • Memantine (Namenda) • Medicines used to control symptoms, allow caregivers to provide easier care.
Research • Neuroimaging • Finding damaged parts of the brain • Alzheimer’s Genetics • Anti-oxidants • Ginkgo biloba • Using to stimulate memory • Estrogen • Tested for levels found in AD patients, which are women
References • Pasternak, J. Jack. Introduction to Molecular Genetics. 2nd edition.2005. pg. 403-408. • www.bic.ucs.edu/images/alz3d.jpg • www.ahaf.org • www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications