Alzheimers

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he sufferer may require a caretaker, as daily chores become very difficult to accomplish.
Evidence points toward the protein amyloid as one of the main causes for the occurring cytotoxic processes. Researchers have found that degeneration appears to be caused by interference with intracellular calcium homeostasis via activation of calcium channels, intracellular calcium stores, and further production of free radicals by calcium-sensitive enzymes. The glutamatergic system, in particular, seems to be involved in mediating the toxic processes. In the brain, the nerve cells in the area that controls memory and thinking are damaged, this interrupts the passage of messages between communicating cells. The cells undergo distinctive changes, these are called neuritic plaques (groups of degenerated nerve cell ends) and neurofibrillary tangles (groups of twisted filaments that accumulate in previously healthy nerve cells). The spaces in the center of the brain become enlarged causing a shrinking of the cerebral cortex (used for thinking) and an overall reduction of the surface area in the brain (Feldman).
Symptoms of AD usually occur in senior citizens, although people in their 40s and 5Os may also be affected. The manifestations of this disease include a severe decrease in intellectual capacity, loss of language skills that may include having trouble finding words, poor or decreased judgment, problems with abstract thinking, time and location disorientation, changes in mood or behavior, as well as changes in personality (Rice). AD does not discriminate; it affects members of each and every race, socio-economic background and sex equally.
The cause of Alzheimer's Disease is not exactly known. However, research is being conducted on the most lik...