Walker. K. (Photographer). (2016, June 7.) Retrieved from http://static.wixstatic.com/media/e08d73_7f4e25f506ab48b7870aabdcb5a29f3f~mv2_d_1608_1200_s_2.jpg
Cindy A. Maria K. Mia N.
"The reality of this disease is that there is no remition, there's no stopping it, there's no slowing it down, there's no cure and there are no survivors."
-Suzanne Tackette
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys the affected individual's memory, thinking skills and eventually, their ability to carry out simple, everyday tasks. Usually, Alzheimer’s affects an individual in their mid-late 60’s. The disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the disease after observing a woman who died from a mental illness with symptoms including memory loss, language and behavioral problems. Dr. Alzheimer examined the woman’s brain after her death, and he found the woman’s brain had developed lumps, he called amyloid plaques, and bundles of fibers, he called neurofibrillary. These two factors, along with weak connection between neurons, are considered the main features of Alzheimer’s Disease. There is no cure for this devastating disease, although some patients do undergo ongoing treatment to help control the symptoms and in some cases, slow down the progression and onset. There continues to be new discoveries about the human brain and Alzheimer’s Disease. It is very likely that brain damage occurs years before the patient experiences the symptoms of Alzheimer's. The initial brain damage seems to be occurring in the brain’s hippocampus, where memories are created and stored. As more neurons die, the damaged parts of the brain begins to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, the damage is widespread throughout the brain and the shrinking is significant.
National Institutes of Health (n.d.). About Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's Basics. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics
National Institutes of Health (n.d.). Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet. https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
National Institutes of Health (n.d.). About Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's Basics. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics
National Institutes of Health (n.d.). Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet. https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
[actionalz]. (2008, Aug 26). What is Alzheimer's Disease?. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wv9jrk-gXc