Alzheimer's Research Paper

Alzheimer’s disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It affects many people of different age groups, usually older people though. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and can lead to long-term care if symptoms are bad enough. People suffering from Alzheimer’s are directly affected in their memories and thought processes, due to the damage in their brain. Dementia is a form of brain disease, with the most common type being Alzheimer’s disease. The chemical neurotransmitter that is associated with Alzheimer’s is acethycoline; this chemical neurotransmitter aids in transmitting signals throughout the brain. Other areas of the brain that are affected are the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus. These three areas are responsible

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s will vary depending on the stage of the disease. These symptoms include loss of language, depression, insomnia, delusions, illusions, hallucinations; physical, mental, and emotional outbursts. People with Alzheimer’s also have a hard time with daily activities and start to behave different than normal. . There are four different stages of Alzheimer’s; not all patients will experience all stages and some may be worse than others. ‘Stage one typically last one to three years, and the patient doesn’t really have an awareness of the disease. Some typical behavior at this stage are personality changes, forgetfulness, and social withdraw. Stage two will last between two and ten years. Patients will have profound memory loss, violent outbursts, loss of motor skills and language. Stage three is usually the last stage identified and lasts eight to twelve years. Patients cannot perform basic daily activities will have severe impairment to all cognitive functions, and inability to recognize family members. On rare occasions a very severe stage four is identified. This stage is characterized by loss of all abilities and loss of one’s self.’ All of these symptoms can be related back to a lack of acethycoline, and damage to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. (Forsyth & Ritzline,

“The presenilin 1 (PS1) gene located on chromosome 14 and the presenilin 2 (PS2) gene located on chromosome 1 are linked to 70% to 80% and 20% to 25% of the early-onset familial form of AD, respectively.”(Alzheimer Disease, 2002) These are mutations of genes that lead to onset of Alzheimer’s between the ages of 45 and 53. The duration of early-onset Alzheimer’s is between eight and eleven years. “Recently scientists have discovered that the gene for apolipoprotein E (ApoE), a protein that moves cholesterol in the bloodstream and can bind to amyloid beta-protein and other proteins, can affect a person's risk of developing the disease.” (Alzheimer Disease, 2002) The ApoE is a naturally occurring gene, and there are two types you could inherit that can affect your risk of getting Alzheimer’s. The ApoE4 increases risk and lower the age for developing Alzheimer’s; while the ApoE2 lowers risk and increases age for susceptibility. (Alzheimer Disease, 2002) There is also research being conducted on the buildup of amyloid plaques, as that is one defining factor of Alzheimer’s. Researchers also have many varying ideas about the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain. One fact that is known is that there are increased numbers of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s patients. Some researchers think that the amyloid plaques are a main factor in the disease, while others think it is a reaction to the