ALZHEIMER’S BY MICHELLE MARTIN 46
DIS-LIST
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease caused from damage to brain cells. The disease usually affects memory and the ability to learn new things first, then progresses to changes in behavior, confusion, and in later stages to an inability to carry on activities of daily life. The disease is one among many that lead to dementia. About 50 million people live with some form of dementia in the world and about 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.1
Patients experience these changes in memory and behavior when cells in their brain are damaged and can no longer communicate with one another. Communication in a typical brain happens when an electrical signal travels within one neuron to where it meets another neuron. When the signal reaches the gap between them, called a synapse, the cell releases small chemicals called neurotransmitters. Alzheimer’s interferes with both how the electrical charges travel and the neurotransmitter activity. The cause of the damage is unclear, but two signs of the damage are abnormal clumping of proteins called beta-amyloid plaques and twisted protein strands called tangles. The plaques are thought to block communication between cells and they may also cause an inflammation response and eventual demise of damaged neurons. The tangles prevent the passage of nutrients and waste to and from neurons. Treatments for Alzheimer’s, as with other forms of dementia, do not slow or stop the disease progression, but they can sometimes help with symptoms. Typical symptoms include memory loss and trouble speaking, thinking and problemsolving, and changes in mood, sensitivity to sensations, personality and behavior. Caregivers will often try things like adjusting sensory input, such as adjusting
