Alzheimer

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Alzheimers Disease

• By Ryan Triplett

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Alzheimers

• The deterioration of intellectual capabilities,
  memory, judgment, and personality to the extent
  that daily functioning and quality of life are
  seriously impaired.
• Generally occurs in the elderly impairing brain
  function, which can lead to dementia.
• Named for German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in
  1907.

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Statistics

• 4 million or more cases in U.S.
• 100,000 die each year.
• 4th major leading cause of death in U.S.
• 65 or older when symptoms can begin

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Clinical Features

• Loss of short-term memory and ability to create
  memories
• Concentration on past
• Loss of time
• Communication diminishes
• Personality changes
• Delusions
• Become immobilized and uncomprehending
• Death due to respiratory failure
• 65 and up disease lasts 8-20 years
• 65 and down disease lasts 5-10 years disease more
  rapid

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Histological Analysis3 distinctive
neuropathological features

1. Devastating losses of synapses and neurons within
   hippocampus and entorhinal cortex.
2. Dense spherical structures, called senile plaques
   (SP), prevalent outside the neurons of the
   hippocampus and other regions of the brain.
3. Aggregations of fibrils (Neurofibrillary tangles,
   NFT) accumulate within cell bodies and dendritic
   processes of the neurons of the hippocampus,
   neurocortex, entorhinal cortex, and other brain
   parts.

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Pictures of Brain Degradation
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Degradation contd
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Senile Plaques

• Densely packed fibrous structures called amyloid
  bodies.
• Consists of mainly protein, 4-kDa peptide.
• Many isoforms make up the amyloid proteins.
• Amyloid precursor protein another source of which
  can lead to AD. Functional role unknown.

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Neurofibrillary Tangles

• Consist of helical filaments called PHF.
• Intertwined protein strands made of tau protein
  molecules.
• Formation of NFTs not unique to AD.
• Found in many other neurodegenerative disorders
  with dementias, affecting the brain.
• Scientists believe that the amyloid proteins lead
  to the formation of the neurofibrillary tangles,
  and both can lead to AD symptoms.

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Diagnosis

• Only definitive way is to use brain scans (CT) to
  see plaques or tangles in brain tissue.
• Tests used to exclude other diseases.

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Treatments

• No treatment can prevent Alzheimers
• Drugs for early stages
• Cognax, Aricept, Exelon, or Razadyne
• Severe stages
• Memantine (Namenda)
• Medicines used to control symptoms, allow
  caregivers to provide easier care.

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Research

• Neuroimaging
• Finding damaged parts of the brain
• Alzheimers Genetics
• Anti-oxidants
• Ginkgo biloba
• Using to stimulate memory
• Estrogen
• Tested for levels found in AD patients, which are
  women

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References

• Pasternak, J. Jack. Introduction to Molecular
  Genetics. 2nd edition.2005. pg. 403-408.
• www.bic.ucs.edu/images/alz3d.jpg
• www.ahaf.org
• www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications