Alzheimers
By: Menya Mcatee
What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun
I chose Alzheimers because I thought it was interesting to research because many elderly people have this. It may help others and I understand all about it.
About Alzheimers
Alzheimers is a type of dementia that causes problems with your memory, thinking, and behavior. symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, to where it is difficult to perform daily tasks. It is the most common form of dementia, it accounts for 60 to 80 of dementia cases. A few symptoms are difficulty remembering new things, confusion, mood and behavior changes, thinking takes longer than usual, difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking.
Research and Psychologists
In 1906 Alzheimers was found by German physician Alois Alzheimer. In the case of Auguste D., a patient who had profound memory loss, unfounded suspicions about her family, and other worsening psychological changes, In her brain at autopsy, he saw dramatic shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around nerve cells. In 1931 Germans Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska co-invented the electron microscope, which can magnify up to 1 million times. it allowed further study of the brain. In 1976 Alzheimers was recognized as the most common form of dementia by Neurologist Robert Katzman. In 1984 the NIA began funding Alzheimers disease centers, establishing a nationwide infrastructure for research, diagnosis and treatment. In 1993 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves tacrine (Cognex) as the first drug specifically targeting Alzheimer's memory and thinking symptoms. In 2012 the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network, launched the first major clincial trial testing drug therapy to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms in people who inherited an autosomal dominant mutation putting them at high risk for the disease.
Alzheimers in the Brain
Brain cells work like factory. Scientists believe Alzheimers prevents parts of the cell factory from working correctly. they don't know where it starts, but like a real factory, once machines break down or there is a hold up it causes problems in other parts of the factory. as the damage spreads, cells lose the ability to do their jobs and eventually die, causing irreversible changes to the brain.
Plaques and Tangles
Plaques and Tangles are prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells.
Plaques: are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) that build up in the spaces between nerve cells.
Tangles: are twisted fibers of another protein called tau (rhymes with “wow”) that build up inside cells.
Though people develop plaques and tangles as they age, people with Alzheimers tend to develop more. They develop in a predictable pattern, beginning in memory and spreading. Most experts believe they block communication between nerve cells and disrupting processes that cells need to survive.