Alzheimers Disease

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Alzheimers Disease

• By Shoval Dorani

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What is Alzheimers Disease?

• Alzheimers disease is another form of Dementia.
  It first involves parts of the brain that control
  thought, memory, and language. People with this
  disease have trouble remembering things. Over
  time, symptoms get worse. People may not
  recognize family members or have trouble
  speaking, reading, or writing. As time
  progresses, people may become anxious or
  aggressive, and will eventually need total care.

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Mode of Inheritance

• Genetic disorder
• Chromosomes 1, 14, 19, and 21 are where the gene
  mutations are more likely to occur, causing
  Alzheimers
• Autosomal Dominant genes
• Being born with Alzheimers disease is very rare,
  it happens as you age
• Alzheimers is not caused by a single gene. More
  than one gene mutation will cause this disease,
  and genes on multiple chromosomes are involved
• Only one parent has to pass down a defective copy
  of the gene for their offspring to develop the
  disorder
• Researchers have found an increased risk of
  developing Alzheimers disease related to the
  apolipoprotein E gene found on chromosome 19

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Pedigree

• The mothers alleles are normal homozygous, while
  the fathers alleles are heterozygous affected.

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Symptoms and Detection

• Cannot think clearly
• Forgetting things, such as words and names
• Forgetting how to do simple tasks, such as
  walking a dog or eating
• Sometimes people will feel sad or nervous
• May become angry or aggressive
• Confusion
• Disorientation

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Diagnostic Testing

• There is no one way to test for Alzheimers
  disease. Tests will determine a patients memory,
  language skills, and how easily they can solve
  problems. Some tests doctors will perform are
• Urine tests
• Blood tests
• Neuropsychological tests
• Memory tests
• Brain scans

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Prognosis

• People with Alzheimers die an average of four to
  six years after diagnosis
• Younger patients and women have much higher
  survival rates
• Patients 85 years and older with Alzheimers
  disease have the lowest survival rate
• Alzheimers disease is not treatable, however
  theyre many medicines that can slow down
  symptoms

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Additional Health Problems

• Changes in personality and behavior develop
• Delusions or hallucinations take place
• Forgetting to eat, worsening symptoms
• Depression
• High cholesterol
• Constipation
• Wandering
• Sleep problems

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Treatment

• There is no specific treatment for Alzheimers
  disease, but a few medicines can slow its
  symptoms. Aricept is a type of drug that
  increases the amount of the neurotransmitter
  aceltylcholine in the brain. Another medicine,
  called Namenda, protects the brain cells from a
  chemical called glutamate which damages nerve
  cells. Doctors will also give their patients
  antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication to
  slow down the Alzheimers symptoms.

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Current Research

• Many scientists have been working to fight
  against Alzheimers disease. Over a period of
  time, they have tried to treat this disease
  through gene therapy. This type of treatment is
  when a gene's DNA is delivered to the neurons in
  individual cells, allowing them to produce their
  own therapeutic proteins. Doctors want this to
  supplement a defective mutant allele with a
  functional one. Nanotechnology makes this
  possible to do.

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Genetic Counseling

• A genetic counselor would explain the chances of
  having children with Alzheimers disease. If both
  parents were carriers of Alzheimers disease,
  their chances of having children with this
  disease would be high. Using the pedigree shown
  before as an example, if one parent was a
  carrier, and the other was not, the chances of
  having children with the disease is 50. A
  genetic counselor may also talk to their
  Alzheimers patients about their disease and how
  it affects them. They will also answer any
  questions a patient will have relating to their
  Alzheimers. Often, the genetic counselor will
  interpret medical information that they are given
  about their disease. The genetic counselor may
  ask extensive questions about the patients
  family history, as this is the way doctors and
  scientists understand inheritance patterns.
  Genetic counseling is a way to express any
  feelings or questions relating to their disease.
  Here, they will find important answers and much
  support.

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Normal neuron vs. Alzheimers neuron
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Additional Interesting Facts

• There are more than 5 million people in the
  United States with Alzheimers disease
• Alzheimers is twice as common in women than in
  men
• The older a person gets, the higher his or her
  risk of getting Alzheimer's
• Fourth leading cause of death among the elderly

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Credits

• http//www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/gen
  eticsfs.htm
• http//www.noah-health.org/en/bns/disorders/alzhei
  mer/index.html
• http//www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/causes-her
  edity.htm
• http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alzheimersdisea
  se.html