what happens to the brain in alzheimer’s disease?
DESCRIPTION
This is a presentation about the changes in brain of a person with Alzheimer disease.TRANSCRIPT
What happens to the brain in Alzheimer’s
Disease?
The lobes of the Human Brain
Figure from Gray 728 Public Domain
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease .
It seems that abnormal deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques and tau tangles throughout the brain. These affects the ability of the neurons to function and communicate with each other, and eventually they die.
The lobes of the Human Brain
Image from :http://www.alz.org/braintour/alzheimers_changes.asp
Alzheimer’s disease changes the whole brain
There is a loss of nervous tissue. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions.
Normal brain
Brain with advanced Alzheimer
Comparing normal brain and brain with Alzheimer
Image from :http://www.alz.org/braintour/alzheimers_changes.asp
Which brain functions are affected?
The cortex shrivels up, damaging areas involved in thinking, planning and remembering.
Shrinkage is especially severe in the hippocampus, an area of the cortex involved in formation of new memories.
Cortex
Hippocampus
Early Stage
Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms in the Early Stage
oShort-term memory lossoDifficulty performing familiar tasksoDisorientation oIncreasing problems with planning and managingoTrouble with languageoRapid, unpredictable mood swingsoLack of motivationoChanges in sleep
Middle Stage
Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms in the Middle Stage
oDifficulty completing everyday tasks, such as getting dressed, going to bathroom, or preparing mealsoHallucinationsoStrong feelings of paranoia and anger oWandering
Later Stages
Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms in the Later Stages
oInability to communicate with or recognize other peopleoInability to walkoDifficulty swallowingoInability to smileoInability to care for himself or herself at all
Image from:http://www.alz.org/braintour/plaques_tangles.asp
Amyloid plaques
Amyloid plaques are found in the spaces between the brain’s nerve cells. Plaques consist of largely insoluble deposits of an apparently toxic protein peptide, or fragment, called beta-amyloid.
Amyloid plaques
Image from:http://www.wellsphere.com/alzheimer-s-dementia-article/plaques-and-tangles-in-the-alzheimer-8217-s-brain-which-one-is-most-to-blame-for-alzheimer-8217-s-disease/1358255
Tangles
Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twisted fibers found inside the brain's cells.These tangles consist primarily of a protein called tau, which forms part of a structure called a microtubule. In Alzheimer's disease the tau protein is abnormal and the microtubule structures collapse.Nutrients and other essential supplies can no longer move through the cells, which eventually die
Image from:http://www.shutterstock.com/s/neurotransmitter/search.html#id=166154162&src=lYW8iAgPMJJ_XBIg3bOPQQ-1-2
Neurotransmitters
Another problem is a reduction in the levels of certain neurotransmitters . The so-called cholinergic neurons in the brain produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter crucial to memory and learning.
These neurons are plentiful in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex—the two regions of the brain most ravaged by Alzheimer's disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brainhttp://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/part-2-what-happens-brain-ad/hallmarks-adhttp://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basicshttp://www.alz.org/braintour/alzheimers_changes.asphttp://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/about/understanding/plaques-and-tangles.htmlhttp://www.healthcommunities.com/alzheimers-disease/plaques-and-tangles_jhmwp.shtmlhttp://www.wellsphere.com/alzheimer-s-dementia-article/plaques-and-tangles-in-the-alzheimer-8217-s-brain-which-one-is-most-to-blame-for-alzheimer-8217-s-disease/1358255http://www.shutterstock.com/s/neurotransmitter/search.html#id=166154162&src=lYW8iAgPMJJ_XBIg3bOPQQ-1-2http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-disease-symptoms
References: