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Alzheimer’s Research |
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Dementia is the collective name for a broad category of brain
disorders, sharing more or less the same common symptom of progressive
deterioration of thinking, or what is known as cognitive impairment, and a
degeneration of memory. There are many forms of this brain disorder but the
most common is Alzheimer’s disease, affecting over 4 million people in the
United States alone, a number that is set to climb higher for the next ten
years.
Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder commonly affecting the elderly, especially
those over 65 years of age. However, about 300,000 people below 65 are also
suffering from the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s
and people diagnosed with this disease often experience behavioral changes,
mood swings, aversion and complete withdrawal from their surroundings, and
eventually death as they lose even their ability to perform motor functions.
However, much of Alzheimer’s research now going on has been focused on
increasing our insight into the disease, which insight would eventually lead
scientists to a cure.
Below are some of the more important Alzheimer’s research findings through
the years:
Alzheimer’s Research Begins
It was Dr. Alois Alzheimer himself who spearheaded the biomedical aspect of
Alzheimer’s research when he observed, in 1906, several abnormal structures
in the brain tissue of a deceased female patient of his. The structures were
later described as “plaques and tangles” that are considered as the
identifying features of Alzheimer’s disease.
As more and more attention is focused on Alzheimer’s research, scientists
found out how degeneration of the brain cells occurs. First, the nerve cells
in the part of the brain that deals with thinking and memory start to shrink
before they eventually disappear. As the disease is progressive, this
degeneration also begins to affect other parts of the brain, as shown by
brain imaging scans of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Alzheimer’s Research into Amyloid Plaques
The “plaques” composed largely of a protein called beta amyloid start to
develop all over the brain. These dense little deposits appear between nerve
cells and reach such excessive levels that the enzymes and other molecules
that are tasked to clear them away are overwhelmed. Eventually, these
deposits contribute to the degeneration of nerve cells since they are toxic,
although how exactly they are able to kill nerve cells remains to be
investigated.
A few Alzheimer’s research points to the action of free radicals, molecules
that cause damage to normal living cells because of their highly unstable
forms. Others are looking deeper into the Alzheimer’s research on the
genetic factor of the disease, which particularly comes into sharp play when
referring to Familial Alzheimer’s disease. According to Alzheimer’s
research, the excess beta amyloid production in familial Alzheimer’s disease
happens because certain inherited genes have mutated, including the gene for
APP, the larger protein molecule comprised of beta amyloid among others.
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| This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on Alzheimers
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you. |
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Alzheimer Articles
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Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s disease is a dreaded disease that affects the cognitive
functions of the brain.
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Alzheimer’s Cures
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain illness that causes the victim
to become confused and lose his cognitive functions. |
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Alzheimer’s Disease
It
starts with minor memory lapses, like getting people’s names confused or
forgetting where you put the keys to the car. |
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Alzheimer’s Eye Test
Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of
people worldwide. In the United States alone, 4.5 million people are
experiencing memory loss,
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Alzheimer’s History
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (a brain disorder
that seriously affects the person’s memory,
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Alzheimer’s Nursing Homes
We always want what’s best for our family. And we think that
no one can take care of our loved one quite as well as we can.
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Alzheimer’s Research
Dementia is the collective name for a broad
category of brain disorders, sharing more or less the same common symptom of
progressive
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Alzheimer’s Test
Experts say that there are about 4 million people in the United States that
exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Causes of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex brain disorder that results
in the gradual degeneration of most of the mental functions of
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Early Onset Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia (a
neuropathological disorder affecting many cognitive functions of the brain)
commonly
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