Alzheimer’s Disease

Jessylyn valdez
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

 Alzheimer’s is a disease that cause

dementia, or loss of brain functions. It
affects the part of the brain that are
important for memory, thought, and
language.
The brain of a person with Alzheimer’s
contains abnormal clumps of cellular
debris and protein(plaque) and
collapsed microtubules(support
structure inside the cell).
Microtubules collapse is caused by a
malfunctioning protein called tau.
Which normally stabilizes the
microtubules. In Alzheimer’s patients.
Tau proteins instead cluster
together to form disabling plaques
and tangles. These plaques and
tangle damage the healthy cells
around them, leading to cell death.
The brain also produces smaller
amounts of
neurotransmitter(acetylcholine,
serotinin, and norepinephrine),
chemicals that allow nerve cells to
talk to one another.
How do people get Alzheimer’s Disease?

 It is caused by the combination of genes and environmental factors.

Multifactorial disorder.
 The early-onset forms of Alzheimer’s are inherited in an autosomal
dominant pattern, which means that only one parent has to pass down a
defective copy of the gene for their child to develop the disorder.
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?

 slowly lose their ability to think clearly.

 They may forget words or names, or have trouble finding
things.
 They may forget how to do a simple task, such as walking
to a friend’s house or brushing their hair.
 They also feel nervous or sad.
How do Doctors diagnose Alzheirmer’s Disease?

Doctors use several different tests

to check a patient’s memory,
language skill, and problem
solving abilities.
How is Alzheimer’s Disease treated?

 Aricept- increases the amount of the neurotransmitter

acetylcholine in the brain.
 Namenda – protects brain cells from a chemical called
glutamate, which can damage nerve cells.
 Antidepressants/antianxiety – medicines to ease some of
their symptoms.
 Interesting facts about Alzheimer’s Disease

 Alzheimer’s was named after the German Doctor, ALOIS ALZHEIMER,

who first named the disorder in 1906.
 The older a person gets, the higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s.
 Only about 1 to 2 people out of 100 have Alzheimer’s at age 65.
 1 out of 5 people has the disorder by age 80.
 As many as 4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s Disease.