In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer recognized a change in a fifty-year-old woman’s brain tissue post mortem now known as Alzheimer’s disease. Today, Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent form of dementia affecting about 5.3 million people in the United States (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2015). This disease gradually destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually preventing the ability of simple tasks to be performed. In this research paper I will first discuss my personal reason for researching this topic and give a description of Alzheimer’s disease. I will also go through the history and important demographics behind this disease and describe three purposed hypothesis behind the cause of Alzheimer’s. Next I will describe the various symptoms …show more content…
It primarily targets the central nervous system, which includes the brain the spinal cord. Specific brain abnormalities such as plaques and tangles have been seen in those with Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Association 2011). Although this disease is seen in majority of people 65 or older it is not a normal part of aging. Increasing age is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s but it is seen in individuals in their 40s and 50s (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2015). Alzheimer’s disease is progressive with symptoms slowly getting worse over time. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is poorly understood. There is no current cure, however, there are treatments that target symptoms. There has been great effort through research to find better ways to treat Alzheimer’s and stop it from …show more content…
Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the man this disease is named after, recognized a change in a fifty-year-old woman’s brain tissue post mortem. He witnessed many irregular clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. He also saw a loss of connection between neurons. This women, Auguste Deter, had various symptoms before her death including memory loss, language difficulties, and erratic behavior (Alzheimer’s Association 2015). Not much understanding of the mechanism underlying this disease was known until beta-amyloid and tau protein was discovered in 1984 and 1986, respectively (Alzheimer’s Association 2015). Mutations in these proteins’ genes seem to be causing early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease and frontal temporal dementia (Alzheimer’s Association 2015). Seven years later, the first drug, Cognex, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration targeting memory and thinking symptoms (Alzheimer’s Association
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are extremely detrimental to the individual whom it affects, as the disease attacks the brain cells and their connections. As the illness progresses, many
Alzheimer 's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain from which there is no recovery. There are three brain abnormalities that are the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease is initially caused by plaques buildup in the brain’s neurons as illustrated in figure 1. The support structure that allows the flow of the nutrients through the neurons gets damaged and ultimately there is loss of connection among the neurons and they die off (National Institute of Health, 2015). This causes the brain tissue to shrinks, which is called atrophies. All this ultimately lead the victim of this disease to face difficulties in governing emotions, recognize errors and patterns, coordinate movement, and remember. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 85. (Beattie, 2002) Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory. (Beattie, 2002)
Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. In Latin, 'dementia ' means irrationality, which results in a restriction of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment has only progressed in the last several years. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer was “one of the first to link
Alzheimer’s Disease was first mentioned by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906 after having studied the case of Auguste D. who was experiencing, “...memory loss, unfounded suspicions about her family, and other worsening psychological changes…” (“Milestones in Alzheimer's”). After this patient had died, the doctor performed an autopsy to find that the brain had “dramatic shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around nerve cells” (“Milestones in Alzheimer's”). This disease is a type of dementia that is defined as a progressive deteriorating mental condition that affects the patient’s day to day life. One with this disease may experience memory loss, slow cognitive processing, language problems, poor coordination, and what can be described as “odd” social
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in people above the age of 65. In 1901, Alois Alzheimer identified the first case of this disease and discovered the pathological condition of dementia that bears his name. AD is a progressive disease, the most common early symptom is short-term memory loss. As the disorder advances, individuals have problems with language, motivation, mood and long-term memory. In the final stages, the patient is complete loss of daily living activities.
“What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that affects an individual’s memory, cognition, and behavior disturbances that ultimately diminishes their quality of life.1-2 Dementia is not a specific disease it is a general term for a variety of symptoms that affect memory and intellectual thinking that causes difficulty in our tasks of daily living.(5) The confusion between these two terms is extraordinary. It’s helpful to think of dementia as the symptom and to think of AD as the cause of that symptom. Although, there are many causes of dementia for the purpose of this paper, Alzheimer’s will be the only one discussed.
Alzheimer’s disease in many ways is not yet defined. It is a progressive disease afflicting between 5 and 15 percent of people over 65. Additionally, it is not restricted to the elderly, reportedly having
The Temporal lobe is affected by Alzheimer's. More specifically, when cells begin to die in the Cortex (outer layer of brain) it shrinks, causing large spaces within the brain. The Hippocampus is part of the Cortex too and helps with the formation of new memories. This damage to the brain obviously causes problems with memory and what not.
Even though Alzheimer 's is being researched, it was not a commonly known disease and many aspects of it remain intangible. In 1901 Auguste D. family brought her to Dr. Alzheimer’s after noticing Auguste problem with memory, impaired comprehension, and unpredictable behavior. Dr. Alzheimer treated Auguste till her death in 1906. He performed an autopsy on her brain and discovered dramatic shrinkage of the cerebral cortex, atrophied brain cells, fatty deposits in blood vessels, neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques. Plaques and tangles in the brain are two of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is the loss of connections between neurons in the brain. (https://www.nia.nih.gov/.../alzheimers_disease_fact_sheet_
Alzheimer’s disease currently represents the second leading cause of death in people older than 65 years residing in the modern world. (1) Census records attest to this assertion, which has prompted medical researchers to further investigate the etiology and course of development of the disease in order to better treat the debilitating condition. This paper investigates how Alzheimer’s entered the medical lexicon and how its definition has shifted over the past century in psychiatric discourses. It is clear that as a neurodegenerative disease, older people are more likely to incur the condition. However, a small number of people develop it at an early age as well. While the cause of Alzheimer’s disease remains somewhat uncertain, experts can still pinpoint contributing factors that better illuminate the possible etiology. Future research is necessary in order to ascertain the particular causes. It is clear that aging is the most significant risk factor. This paper contributes to the large corpus of literature on Alzheimer’s and pinpoints various avenues for future research in order to enhance medical epistemologies. Hopefully, a cure for this debilitating disease will be discovered in order to abate rates of death it causes.
Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects a lot of older people. It not only affects the person but their families, friends, and any loved ones. The disease makes them forget almost everything they have experienced in their life. The memories they have of anything can be almost nil and they will not act like themselves anymore. This disease is a hard disease for someone’s family members to cope with because the person they once knew, is all but gone. In this paper I will be explaining the definition of the Alzheimer’s disease, what comes of the disease, and what treatment options there are.
Alzheimer’s is a disease where neurotransmitters, acetylcholine, or the brain’s chemicals break connections with other nerve cells causing the cells to die off, the effects of this are irreversible. The loss of these cells result in loss of thinking and language skills, unpredictable behavioral changes and eventually the inability to carry out the simplest tasks. Although there is no known cause for Alzheimer’s, researchers have found a genetic link. Alzheimer’s first symptoms usually appear when a person is between forty and fifty years of age. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that initiates in the brain, drastically decreasing the quality of life as well as life expectancy in millions of people around the world.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease that affects the brain. It causes mental deterioration in the brain and may occur in middle or old age. Ultimately, a person with AD loses all memory and mental functioning over time. The disease slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to do simple tasks. Alzheimer’s is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who noticed changes in the brain tissue of a women who had died of an unusual mental illness. She showed symptoms like memory loss, language problems and unpredictable behavior. He examined her body and found abnormal clumps (now diagnoses as amyloid plaques). These clumps are now considered one of the main features of alzheimer's
In 1906, Alzheimer’s disease entered the scientific world. Till this day, it is one of the most studied neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers have come a long way with scientific outcomes on the disease, but unfortunately there is no official cure, or a concise reason on how this disease is generated. The disease has been recognized to being genetic and affecting people in their later years, roughly around their sixtieth year. Alzheimer’s disease affects the person’s memory, language, judgment and even their daily tasks. While the disease continues to dramatically progress, it begins to affect all regions of the brain, causing the person to lose almost all of their functions. When the person has reached their final stage, they are no longer able to recognize themselves or their surroundings and would need full time dependent care. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org, 2016), the person may have up to eight years max to live after diagnosis.