Brain Power: What Alzheimer's Disease Does To The Brain

Alzheimer's is known to be a progressive, neurodegenerative disease, most common in people over the age of 65 years, although there have also been cases of hereditary development of Alzheimer‘s disease in younger patients on rare occasions. Characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques (abnormal clusters) and neurofibrillary tangles (entwined or tangled bundles of fibers) in the brain, it is believed that these strangely misplaced proteins disrupt the chemical interaction between nerve cells, and damage 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 confusion, restlessness, and/or mood swings. During this time, proteins build up and create the telltale tangles and plaques within the entorhinal cortex of the brain. This is the part, which is essential to the memory; retrieving past memories and thoughts, as well as processing new information and memories within the brain. Unfortunately, it is quite 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 painfully obvious, that a patient might be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

As the condition worsens, Alzheimer's patients quite frequently suffer from language deterioration, problems with mathematical figures, an impaired ability to manipulate visual information, and definite or obvious difficulty in recognizing familiar faces, addresses, or general 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 anger and anxiety are common during this time, and shifts in personality are not unheard of. Quite often, an Alzheimer's patient in this stage may not even recognize close family, such as a son or a mother, and becomes very frightened or angry when they are touched.

In the middle stages of Alzheimer's disease, the tangles and plagues move upward in the brain, soon taking over the hippocampus. This is the section of the brain, which is known for creating our more complex memories from objects or events. During this time, it usually becomes glaringly apparent that the patient is no longer safe, living without constant supervision, and many are placed in nursing homes, other dedicated care facilities or is taken in, where relatives can provide them with the support and care that they require. Due to the quickly deteriorating nature of this disease, it is highly recommended that the patient and their family members discuss future care arrangements, prior to this point, while the patient can still make sound calls of judgment.

After this stage, the tangles and plagues continue their journey upwards, eventually reaching the top of the brain and disrupting the mental processes there. This is the part of the brain, which sorts through the various stimuli that a person comes into contact with throughout their day and, from that, then orchestrates all behavior. By the time the tangles and plagues have reached this part of the brain it is quite common that the patient has been admitted into a nursing home. Alzheimer's patients in the advanced stages of the disease commonly suffer long periods of almost vegetative states, where they have no recollection of their surroundings or caregivers. Family members commonly appear as strangers and their surroundings are perceived as threatening. Usually they have forgotten simple routine tasks such as brushing their hair or using the bathroom and, as they worsen, will commonly forget how to eat, drink or even swallow.

The life expectancy of a person with Alzheimer's disease is commonly thought to be between 5 and 10 years, with an average of about 8. Some patients, however, have been known to survive as long as 20 years before the disease took them. It is also true that Alzheimer's disease can affect different people in different ways. Sadly, there is no cure for Alzheimer‘s, nor is there any form of preventative medicine that one can take that will protect against this serious disease. No medicine can even slow the effects of this form of dementia, though there is discussion and research, suggesting that staying fit, keeping the mind active and eating a healthy diet may be able to lower the risk factors for developing the disease.