Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease

There is no arguing the fact that Alzheimer’s disease is one of the neurological dementia conditions that adults fear the most. The reason for that is not so much that’s it’s incredibly debilitating for the suffer – it most certainly is – but more because it’s such a devastating experience for loved ones and friends to see the sufferer’s mind degenerate. They lose the ability to recognize them or be able to express emotions or engage in human interaction. Those are just a few of the Alzheimer’s symptoms seen in people with the disease, and it’s unfortunately one that gets progressively worse over time.

A great deal of resources and effort have been put into finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but unfortunately researchers haven’t been able to find one yet. However, there are some approaches that can reduce the severity of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. We’ll look at all of this, but start by sharing information on what’s known about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and what makes it such an awful condition.

Alzheimer’s Disease Causes

Any discussion of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease needs to start with a brief overview of the nature of cellular activity in the brain. Cells in the brain have a whole host of different functions related to all of the tasks the brain is required to complete, which allow the person to think, move, react, breathe, speak and so on and so forth – literally hundreds of different life functions. Often times these functions are interdependent on other ones that start in the cells of the brain.

Alzheimer’s symptoms begin when the cellular activity of certain brain cells starts to go awry. Eventually these breakdowns in the natural function processes of the cells begin to impair other cells and their function. Once it gets to the point that so many brain cells are damaged then entire blocks of cells become unable to function at all and eventually die. This death of brain cells is at the root of what causes Alzheimer’s.

But what causes the damage to the cells themselves? Good question. The two structures that don’t occur normally in the brain and are what makes people get Alzheimer’s are plaques and tangles.

• Plaques – deposit of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that accumulate in the spaces between nerve cells
• Tangles – twisted fibers of protein called tau that accumulate inside cells

An Alzheimer’s sufferer will have their condition caused by these plaques and tangles building up in numbers that are drastically higher than those occurring for people in good health. Everyone gets them as they age, but Alzheimer’s suffers are literally overloaded with them.

Medical experts are not sure exactly how these structures impair the cells to cause Alzheimer’s, but many believe that they block communication along synapses between nerve cell and disrupt the processes these cells need to have functioning normally in order to survive.

Alzheimer’s Symptoms

The first of Alzheimer’s symptoms to be seen in sufferers is difficulty remembering newly learned information. This is a result of the disease first taking root in the part of the brain that’s responsible for learning. From there the individual will begin to experience early-stage (stages 1 – 4 of 7) Alzheimer’s symptoms, including:

• Disorientation
• Mood and behaviour changes
• Increasingly profound confusion about events, times, and places
• Unfounded suspicions about family and friends (and caregivers if applicable)

Sufferers will often then move to the later stage (stages 4 – 7 of 7) of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, including:

Extreme memory loss, both short-term and long-term memory

• Extreme behaviour changes
• Difficult speaking, swallowing, and walking
• Extensive emotional and situational detachment

The onset of defined Alzheimer’s symptoms are usually preceded by any number of warning signs.

Alzheimer’s Warning Signs:

• Challenges in planning or solving problems
• Memory loss disrupting daily life
• Difficulty completing tasks that have always been familiar and regularly undertaken by the person
• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships (inability to read or judge distances accurately being common ones)
• Difficulty speaking or writing certain words
• Frequently misplacing belongings
• Decreased or poor judgment
• Withdrawal from work or social activities

Alzheimer’s Treatment

The above information will have provided a sufficient answer to what is Alzheimer’s disease, but the question that will be most pressing for those concerned about a loved one will be what are effective treatments for Alzheimer’s.

As mentioned, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but a physician will typically prescribe medications to counter the effects of the disease based on how far it’s progressed at that point. If the sufferer is in the early stages of the disease and their Alzheimer’s symptoms are in line with those typically seen during those stages then Aricept (Donepezil) or Exelon (Rivastigmine) are standard medications for early-stage Alzheimer’s.

Early detection and treatment is of course preferable, but if diagnosis and / or treatment has been delayed then the individual may gain more benefit medications for advanced Alzheimer’s disease like Namenda (Memantine). Depending on the nature of the individual’s condition and their symptom specifics a physician may also choose to prescribe antidepressants, antianxiety, or antipsychotic medications.

There is also a belief that supplementing with Vitamin E helps to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s sufferers, but it is important to discuss the possibility of supplementing with ANY vitamin or supplement with your physician before starting to do so.

Some people also believe that Alzheimer’s disease symptoms can be mediated by exercising regularly, eating a plant-based diet, increasing antioxidant intake, and maintaining an active social life.