Alzheimers
The Disease That Makes You Forget - Maddy Reed
Choosing this topic:
I chose this topic because my Grandpa had a brain aneurism a couple years ago and for a short period of time he forgot how to walk, talk, and forgot some of his family members, eventually it all came back to him. Also my cross country coach, Coach T, had a stroke 10 years ago and passed away for 7 minutes, but he woke back up with minor damages. He forgot everyone in his life and had to re-learn how to coach cross country and track. Neither of these examples involve Alzheimer's, but both relate to it, so i picked this topic to learn more about this disease.
About Alzheimers:
Alzheimer's is a neurological disease that occurs when brain cells die and memories are lost. The disease gets worse the longer you have it, and mainly occurs at age 65 and older. Alzheimer's is the number one case of dementia right before strokes. Someone is more likely to obtain this disease if relatives have it because it is genetic and can get passed on. It is also more prominent in females rather than males. Alzheimer's is broken up into three stages Preclinical, Mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.
What is going on in the brain:
Brain cells begin to die, and the tissue has less nerve cells and memory connections.
Why is the brain failing?
After the brain cells die a protein is built up between them and forms plaque, there are also tangles in the tissue caused by the disintegration from a different protein.
Theories:
One theory suggest that Alzheimer's is caused by this build up of dead proteins.
Research and Experiments:
All experiments on this disease are working to back track the progress of the dying brain cells. These experiments have sparked in the past decade and scientist are working hard to find a way to reverse this disease. As of now they believe that by eliminating the plaque and tangles in the brain caused by Alzheimer's, one can remember again. Many scientist believe that the cure for this disease is very close in the future.
Alzheimers Disease
A video about the topic.
Facts:
- In people over 65, one in every nine people has AD
- Over 5 million people have AD in the United States
- Every 68 seconds someone is diagnosed with this disease
- Heart disease can raise the risk of getting AD
- Education can lower your risk
- You can loose your sense of smell
Works Cited
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php
https://serracor.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/serracor-nk-and-alzheimers-disease/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2435347/
What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding@home
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/alzheimers-facts#5