Alzheimer's Disease

By Ethan Rihn
 Basic Information

Alzheimer's is an early form of dementia

Dementia is a chronic disorder in brain functions caused by brain
disease; signs are memory disorders, personality changes, and
impaired reasoning
Dementia takes place in the brain and slows brain activities
Only known risk factor is age for dementia; commonly found in
older adults in their mid-60s
Symptoms get worse over time when a person is suffering from
Alzheimers disease
 Dementia

The loss of cognitive function in the brain; (involves thinking, memory,

reasoning)
Starts slowly with not being able to do small activities to a point where a
person can only rely on others to live
The severity depends on where it starts in the brain which effects the
body in different ways
Dementia can be caused by medications and drugs but also a by diseases
Alzheimer's specifically targets the muscle in the brain that controls
memory
Beta-amyloid plaques

Beta-amyloid is a sticky protein from an

amyloid in a membrane that surrounds nerve
cells
If built up is turned into what is called a
Plague which will block cell to cell signaling
in the synapse
They activate immune system cells that
cause inflammation and devour disabled cells
that cant operate due to clogged synapses
thus shrinking the brain
 Neurofibrillary (Tau) Tangles

Normal Neurofibrils are used to move around food molecules and cell parts.
They are parallel strands that are used keep the items in one area and get to
their destination
To keep these working the body has a protein called Tau which allow these
strands to stay straight
When the tau gets overused they get the strands twisted which is called a
tangle
These areas can no longer can control where the items go so they start to
disintegrate leaving the nutrients it carried stranded
The brain cells that need that nutrients cant get it and end up dying thus
shrinking the brain
Hippocampus

It is part of the brain and Limbic system, which is

located near the center of the brain, which involves
long-memory and sense of smell
It plays a major role in declarative memory which is a
type of memory where past experiences, facts, and
events can be remembered
It also controls the brains ability to make new
memories
It doesnt involve short term memory or the type of
memory that deals with procedures such as
walking(the cerebellum and cortex deal with this)
This is the first area that is affected by Alzheimer's
disease; it shrinks the hippocampus using Tau tangles
and Beta-amyloid plaques
 Possible Causes

Age; your bodys organs start to get worn down and cant
function properly as you get older
Gender; it is shown that women are more likely to get Alzheimer's
than men
Genetics; due to shared genes between families of one member
of the family has Alzheimer's then the gene may be shared
between family members
High cholesterol and blood pressure are risk factors but unknown
why or how they do affect the brain
 Alzheimer's: Stage 1

It is called the Preclinical stage

No symptoms of Alzheimers are shown so when it starts doctors
cant even predict the disease
The only sign of this preclinical stage is amyloid plaques and tau
tangles that start to build up at a very slow rate
This causes at a slow rate neurons to die and lose connections to
other neurons but can last for years
The rate is slow enough not to show any symptoms but is slowly
tearing away at the Hippocampus
 Alzheimers: Stage 2

It is called the Mild(early) Stage

It occurs when the Hippocampus starts to lose neurons which mainly
effects the Hippocampus ability to form new memories
Symptoms during the Mild Stage are remembering a name, recalling
recent events, remembering where he or she put a item, making plans,
staying organized, mood swings, or managing money
At this point the person is able to recognize these symptoms and usually
is taken to a doctor by themselves, friends, or family for a checkup
It lasts around 2-4 years
 Alzheimer's: Stage 3

It is called the Moderate (middle) Stage

Occurs when the Hippocampus is beginning to shrink; when this occurs it
affects the Hippocampuss ability to remember old events and learning
After a year in Stage 3 may forget who families members are(feels they
are familiar), have false memories, become paranoid, forget details
about their own life, confused speech, and sleep problems
Lasts 2-10 years
Theres a small possibility that the person will be aware of what is
happing in to them by the disease
 Alzheimer's: Stage 4

It is called the Severe (late) Stage

The Hippocampus has been severely shrunk causing its functions to
be severely decreased in ability
Symptoms of Stage 4 involve forgetting how to walk, strong
difficulty remember recent experiences, cant control bladder
functions, forget how to eat, and unable to have a conversation
Last 1-3 years
Diagnosis

Alzheimer's in not usually recognized at first so

usually it has progressed to Stage 2 by the time the
is person taken to the doctors
To diagnose Alzheimers Disease doctors interview
the patient and test the patient to see of all brain
functions are working properly including a memory
test which is usually in the form of a game
Doctors can also use brain scans to check the brain
such as computed tomography (a CT), magnetic
resonance imaging (a MRI), or positron emission
tomography (a PET).
 Treatment

It depends on age, overall health, and what stage the person has reached
There are two types of FDA approved medicines to treat Alzheimers
cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine to treat symptoms of memory loss
Memantine- a chemical substance that reduces actions in the Hippocampus
that are typically caused by Alzheimer's disease
cholinesterase inhibitors- is a chemical that takes over enzymes in the brain
that are breaking down disabled cells(in an Alzheimers case is usually blocked
by Tau)
Therapy and support groups are made for people with Alzheimers Disease
along with special nursing homes designed to take care of Alzheimers patients
 Works Cited

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Esther Heerema. "The Hippocampus: What Is It, and Can You Stop It from Shrinking?" Verywell. MSW, 31 Oct.
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