Who looks like they might have Alzheimer’s Disease? Who of the previous famous people is living with or died with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease? Can you tell by looking at the person? Is it based on the age of the person? Does a person’s outward appearance tell you something about a person’s brain function?

Information about the famous people Mohammed Ali has Parkinson’s disease which impacts the neurons that produce the chemical dopamine. This chemical helps muscles work smoothly. Pat Summitt, who is in her late 50’s, was diagnosed with early onset dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Junior Seau died by suicide at age 43, though to have been brought by CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) Marilyn Monroe died of a drug overdose at age 36, and had bouts of depression. President Ronald Reagan spent the last ten years of his life with Alzheimer’s, dying at age 93.

Who Has Alzheimer’s Disease? Alzheimer’s is a degenerative condition in which proteins in the brain fall apart making it difficult for the brains function Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects the brain. People who have the disease have trouble remembering, thinking, talking, and taking care of themselves. You will be shown five famous people and asked about their health or cause of death.

Tau Proteins Neurofibrillary tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Tangles are composed of misfolded forms of the protein Tau Structural change that results in tau clumping into insoluble fibrils that, under the microscope, resemble threadlike fibers. What causes tau to misfold and lose function has long been a mystery. The MAPT gene for encoding tau protein is located on chromosome 17q21, containing 16 exons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJXTXN4xrI8

Beta-amyloid plaques Beta-amyloid comes from a larger protein found in the fatty membrane surrounding nerve cells. It is chemically "sticky" and gradually builds up into plaques. The small clumps may block cell-to-cell signaling at synapses. They may also activate immune system cells that trigger inflammation and devour disabled cells. The gene for amyloid precursor protein is located on chromosome 21, and accordingly patients with trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome) have a very high incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

Diagnosing a Dead Brain. While they cannot be seen or tested in the living brain affected by Alzheimer's disease, postmortem/autopsy will always show tiny inclusions in the nerve tissue, called plaques and tangles Plaques are found between the dying cells in the brain - from the build-up of a protein called beta-amyloid (you may hear the term "amyloid plaques"). The tangles are within the brain neurons - from a disintegration of another protein, called tau.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) Originally termed “dementia pugilistica” otherwise known as “punch drunk”, this disorder was first described in 1928 in boxers because boxers suffered from slowed movement, confusion, speech problems, and tremors (Sports Legacy Institute, 2010). Movie Concussion with Will Smith based on his life and discoveries

Interactive Braintour Webquest http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_4719.asp