ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Brenden Cole

THE HISTORY OF ALZHEIMER’S FOUNDED IN 1906 NAMED AFTER DR. ALOIS ALZHEIMER FOUND CHANGES IN THE BRAIN TISSUE OF A WOMAN WHO HAD DIED OF AN UNUSUAL MENTAL ILLNESS FOUND CLUMPS AND TANGLED BUNDLES OF FIBERS IN HER BRAIN

THE 10 WARNING SIGNS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

#1. MEMORY LOSS THAT DISRUPTS DAILY LIFE #2. CHALLENGES IN PLANNING OR SOLVING PROBLEMS #3. DIFFICULTY COMPLETING FAMILIAR TASKS AT HOME, WORK, OR AT LEISURE. #4. CONFUSION WITH TIME OR PLACE #5. TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING VISUAL IMAGES AND SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS

#6. NEW PROBLEMS WITH WORDS IN SPEAKING OR WRITING #7. MISPLACING THINGS AND LOSING THE ABILITY TO RETRACE STEPS #8. DECREASED OR POOR JUDGMENT #9. WITHDRAWAL FROM WORK OR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES #10. CHANGES IN MOOD AND PERSONALITY

WITHIN 10-20 YEARS BEFORE SYMPTOMS OCCUR BRAIN DAMAGE BEGINS CAUSES WITHIN 10-20 YEARS BEFORE SYMPTOMS OCCUR BRAIN DAMAGE BEGINS TANGLES BEGIN IN THE ENTORHINAL CORTEX

AS THE DISEASE PROGRESSES, NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES BEGIN NEOCORTEX AS THE DISEASE PROGRESSES, NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES BEGIN TO SPREAD. PLAQUES ALSO BEGIN TO SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE BRAIN, STARTING IN THE NEOCORTEX

STAGES NO IMPAIRMENT VERY MILD DECLINE MILD DECLINE MODERATE DECLINE MODERATE SEVER DECLINE SEVERE DECLINE VERY SEVERE DECLINE

TREATMENT??? NO CURE NON-DRUG TREATMENTS HELP TO SLOW PROCESS

REFERENCES http://www.alz.org/ http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/