Understanding Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
Definition of Alzheimer's Disease and the Term "Dementia"
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells (neurons).This results in loss of memory, thinking and language skills. There are also behavior changes. These neurons produce a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) called acetylcholine. Alzheimer's first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus which means that language skills and good judgment decline when these neurons die in the cerebral cortex.
The hallmark of the disease is the presence of two types of abnormal lesions called plaques and tangles that clog the brains of persons with Alzheimer's. Scientists are unclear if these cause the disease or are a byproduct of the disease.
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"In Alzheimer's disease the mind dies first: names, dates, places – the interior scrapbook of an entire life – fade into mists of nonrecognition."
Matt Clark
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Beta-amyloid plaques are sticky clumps of protein fragments and cellular material. These form outside and around the neurons. Neurofibrilary tangles are insoluble twisted fibers composed of the protein "tau" that build-up inside the nerve cells.
Alzheimer's is one of several types of dementia (loss of intellectual functions), but it is the most common type among persons aged 65 and over. Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging.
These are the most common symptoms of dementia:
- Memory Loss
- Poor Judgment
- Wandering
- Depression
- Confusion
- Suspiciousness
- Personality Changes
- Sudden/Violent Outbursts
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"My father never feared death. He never saw it as an ending. I don't know why Alzheimer's was allowed to steal so much of my father before releasing him into the arms of death. But I know that at his last moment, when he opened his eyes – eyes that had not opened for many, many days – and looked at my mother, he showed us that neither disease nor death can conquer love."
Patti Davis, daughter of President Ronald Reagan
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