Alzheimers Disease: An Essay On Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer’s disease Holly Salyards Cincinnati State Technical & Community College Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease which slowly destroys thinking and memory skills. These changes are severe enough to interfere with day to day life. This irreversible disease is the most common cause of dementia amongst the elderly, with an appearance of first symptoms after age 60. In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, noticed some changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms were comprised of memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After her death, Dr. Alzheimer examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (neurofibrillary tangles). The aforementioned plaques and tangles in the brain are considered two of the primary features of Alzheimer’s disease. The third feature is the loss of connections between nerve cells or neurons in the brain. There is currently no cure for this traumatic disease, but current Alzheimer’s disease medications and management strategies may temporarily improve symptoms. This can sometimes help people with Alzheimer’s disease maximize function and maintain independence. There is still no known fact on how the Alzheimer’s disease process begins. They seem to think that the damage to the brain starts a decade or more before problems become evident. During the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people are asymptomatic, but unfortunately there are toxic changes taking place in the brain. Abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain, causing the once-healthy neurons to work less efficiently. Over time, neurons lose the ... ... middle of paper ... ...ww.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_4719.asp (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/causes (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/treatment (n.d.). Retrieved from website: http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet (n.d.). Retrieved from website: https://www.alz.org/advocacy/2006program/1.asp (n.d.). Retrieved from website: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp Anonymous. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics http://inserbia.info/today/2013/06/alzheimers-disease-cause-found/ http://www.alz.org/downloads/Facts_Figures_2014.pdf http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/basics/tests-diagnosis/com-20023871 What is alzheimers?. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp

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