Mechanisms leading to dementia include neuron degeneration, compression, atherosclerosis, and trauma. Genetic predisposition is associated with the neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer and Huntington diseases. CNS infections, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and slow-growing viruses associated with. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are associated with dementia in addition to changes in motor function (i.e., ataxia, rigidity, and shuffling gait). Progressive dementias produce nerve cell degeneration and brain atrophy.…
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and social/behavioral skills. The direct cause of it is not yet fully understood, but based on studies, the disease seems to be a result of the combination of genetic material, lifestyle, and environmental factors that affect the brain. While Alzheimer’s is most commonly found among people above the age of 65, it is not what would considered a normal part of aging. However, it is the most common risk factor for this disease. As the age of a person reaches 65, the risk of getting this disease doubles every five years.…
“The Discovery of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Hippius, Hanns. National Center for Biotechnology Information 5.1. 22 Mar. 2003. page 101-108. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.…
In 1901, Dr. Alois Alzheimer began observing a patient named Auguste D. Auguste began behaving more and more bizarrely after developing an intense suspicion about her husband. She would hide objects, become lost in her own home, start screaming loud insisting that people were out to murder her. Dr. Alzheimer found Auguste confused lines when she read, repeated single style labels many times when she wrote and used odd phrases when she spoke. When Auguste died in 1906, Dr. Alzheimer performed an autopsy on her brain. The autopsy revealed damage and cell death had shrunk the tissue. The nerve cells contained a “tangled bundle of fibrils”. From this observation Dr. Alois termed the disease after himself calling it Alzheimer’s disease. Tangles and plaques are the 2 most important pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.…
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is classically defined as a dual clinicopathological entity. The cause of Alzheimer's disease is unknown. This gap in knowledge has created a stumbling block in the search for a genuinely effective treatment or cure for this dementia,…
This illness however is still nowhere near fully understood. There are however a number of different types of dementia and their causes which have been identified in the above. Alzheimer’s is caused by two abnormal proteins that build up into the brain; they form either ‘plaques’ or ‘tangles’. These plaques and tangles interfere with how the brain responds and how the cells work to communicate with each other, the plaques are usually seen in the area were the brain makes new memories there is ongoing research for finding new ways to stop these proteins so they can protect the brain cells from harm. Whereas vascular dementia is the reduction in the blood flow to the brain, the blood carries essential oxygen and nourishment that the brain needs to survive and without it the brain cells can die. The vessels that carry the blood around the body is called the vascular system, there are many ways that these vassals in the brain can be damaged causing vascular dementia such as:…
My nose was nearly hafa' foot in the ground after I failed to scurry away from Scout Finch in the schoolyard. Scouts hand plowed me into the soil with as much force as a truck. At least itad' felt like that at the time.…
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms, which can include memory loss, changes in mood and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, damage the brain. Alzheimer's disease could be described as a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People with Alzheimer's may also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brain. These chemicals are involved with the transmission of messages within the brain.…
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are still somewhat of a mystery in the medical world. Most people believe that they are one in the same. More often than not, people use Alzheimer’s disease and dementia interchangeably, due to their similarities. This, coupled with the public’s lack of awareness of these subjects, contributes to mix-ups and misconceptions in everyday conversations about the two. The intended purpose of this writing is to give the reader a general overview on the topics mentioned, as well as answer the question – How are dementia and Alzheimer’s disease different?…
In 1906, Dr. Alois Alzheimer was the first one to recognize the abnormality of a brain affected with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. With Alzheimer’s the connections between the brain cells deteriorate and die, which causes the memory loss. There are many myths surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. “It is a normal part of aging” is one of the biggest. While some memory loss is expected with aging, Alzheimer’s is concerned with a severe amount of memory loss. The severity can limit a person’s ability to perform daily tasks. “Older people are the only ones who get it” is one that seems to go hand-in-hand with Alzheimer’s being a normal part of aging. While the majority of those who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are between the ages of 65-80, there are cases where early onset can be detected as early as ones 40s or 50s. Past treatments included treating some of the symptoms because there was no known cure. Medication to treat depression and memory loss were able to help some of the symptoms, but some had seen cognitive effects because of this.…
Around the turn of the century, two kinds of dementia were defined by Emil Kraepin: senile and presenile. The presenile form was described more in detail by Alois Alzheimer as a progressive deterioration of memory and orientation. As a neuropathologist, Alzheimer studied the case a 51 year-old woman. When she died, Alzheimer performed an autopsy and found that she had deterioration of the brain, protein deposits and abnormal filaments in nerve cells in her brain -- three common pathological features of those who have Alzheimer’s Disease.…
Stage 2: Might have normal age-related changes, but no symptoms of dementia can be detected.…
Alzheimer's is a strange and mysterious illness. There are many frequently asked questions that must be answered.…
There have been many studies on the connection between different disease and the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. For examples, scientists are studying the relationship of certain diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes to Alzheimer’s and whether lowering the risk factors for these conditions can help reduce the chance of having Alzheimer’s. Other factors that are linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s include depression, low educational attainment, and high levels of homocysteine. It is believed that “Alzheimer’s could be prevented world wide if lifestyle based, chronic disease risk factors were reduced by 25%” (Landau). Although certain conditions may increase the chance of having Alzheimer’s, there are also certain factors that may help to reduce the risk of having Alzheimer’s in the future. The University of California researched previous studies done on this topic and were able to conclude that there are some things that can be done to help reduce the risk of having Alzheimer’s. Some of the lifestyle changes that are suggested include eating a healthy diet, having a healthy intake of folate, vitamin C and E, fish consumption and staying intellectually active. Along with these, medications such as estrogen, blood pressure medications, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been linked to having a reduced chance of developing Alzheimer’s. Additionally, there have been some clinical trials where scientists have been studying if reducing risk factors will help reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s. To sum it up, there is research showing that changes in lifestyle such as being social might have reduce the risk of developing…
For this paper I will be discussing a homeostatic imbalance of the nervous system called Encephalitis. Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain mostly caused by viral infections and some bacterial. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012) It occurs in approximately 0.5 per 100,000 individuals with it most commonly occurring in people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and children. (Howes, 2013). A person infected will have headaches, a fever, body aches, and experience fatigue or weakness. Encephalitis is diagnosed by examination and tests by a doctor. The doctor may check for neck stiffness, muscle weakness, mental confusion, and speech problems. These examinations may not provide enough information on Encephalitis so the doctor may order certain tests to confirm the diagnosis. Depending on the severity of the illness treatment of Encephalitis can usually be healed with bed rest, fluids, and anti-inflammatory drugs. When the illness is diagnosed it is hard to tell what kind of last affects the Encephalitis will have. Even though there is many different treatments and courses of action in diagnosing and treating Encephalitis there is no guarantees of what exactly will happen. Encephalitis can a very serious infection and can have serious lasting affects on the brain. So in conclusion it is important to know the symptoms, affects, treatment, and diagnosis of Encephalitis because it can happen to anyone at anytime.…