How Alzheimer’s Disease Lessen the Brain Power (1)

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease, most regular in people over the age of 65 years, although there have been cases of hereditary development of Alzheimer‘s disease in younger patients on rare occasions also. Characterized by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (entwined or tangled bundles of fibers) and amyloid plaques (abnormal clusters) in the brain, it is believed that these strangely misplaced proteins disrupt the chemical interaction between nerve cells, and break the communication centers within the brain, causing them to atrophy with time.

In the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the patient will often experience memory loss, poor judgment or periods of uncertainty, agitation, and/or mood swings. Throughout this time, proteins build up and create the telltale tangles and plaques within the entorhinal cortex of the brain. This is the part critical to the memory; retrieving past memories and thoughts, as well as handing out new information and memories within the brain. Unhappily, it is rather common that the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease may be misdiagnosed or overlooked simply as another step in the aging process. Quite often, it isn’t until the symptoms become completely obvious, that a patient might be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

As the condition worsens, Alzheimer’s patients somewhat frequently suffer from language deterioration, problems with mathematical figures, an impaired ability to manipulate visual information, and definite or noticeable difficulty in recognizing familiar faces, addresses, or common information. They can often become pointedly confused and may forget certain things that would seem almost routine to them, such as getting dressed, turning off the stove, or brushing one’s hair or teeth before leaving the house. Feelings of irritation and unease are common during this time, and shifts in personality are not unheard of. Rather often, an Alzheimer’s patient in this stage may not even recognize close family, such as a son or a mother, and becomes very scared or angry when they are touched.