Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
Biochemistry Assignment
Submitted by:
adia Saif
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HEM51F20R030
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Submitted to:
Dr. Fayyaz ul Rehman
Alzheimer’s disease
Why is the disease called Alzheimer's Disease? 2
Factors 3
Vascular contribution 4
Types of Alzheimer’s Disease 4
Stages of Alzheimer's disease 4
Mild Alzheimer’s disease: 4
Moderate Alzheimer’s disease: 5
Severe Alzheimer’s disease: 5
Alzheimer's disease genetics 5
Health, environmental, and lifestyle factors 6
Tau protein tangles 7
Amyloid plaques 7
What's the relationship between diabetes and dementia? 8
Medications 10
Cholinesterase inhibitors 10
What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia? 11
Symptoms 12
Alzheimer’s Disease
lzheimer’s disease causes a decline in memory,thinking,learningandorganizing
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skillsovertime.It’sthemostcommoncauseofdementiaandusuallyaffectspeople
over the age of 65. There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, but certain medications and
therapies can help manage symptoms temporarily.
"Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder in which there is an abnormal
deposition of naturally occurring proteins (beta-amyloid 42) that clump
togethertoformplaques.Theseplaquescollectbetweenneuronsanddisturb
their functioning”.
These abnormal deposits of protein form amyloid plaques and tau tangles
throughout the brain. The disease slowly destroys memory,andthepersoncannot
perform routine daily activities.Inaddition,thepersonlosesthinkingskillsslowlyin
thisdisease.Alzheimer'sdisease,atypeofdementia,isverycommonamongolder
adults. In this disease, the connection between the brain neurons is lost.
Factors
AccordingtoCDCCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,thefollowingare
nown about Alzheimer's disease:
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● Age
● Cardiovascular, high BP and high cholesterol
● Diabetes
● Smoking
● Obesity
● Depression
● Head injury
Vascular contribution
Amyloid plaques
oxic protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with Alzheimer's
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disease most likely leak into the brain from fat carrying particles in blood, called
lipoproteins. "This 'blood-to-brainpathway'issignificantbecauseifwecanmanage
thelevelsinbloodoflipoprotein-amyloidandpreventtheirleakageintothebrain,this
opensuppotentialnewtreatmentstopreventAlzheimer'sdiseaseandslowmemory
loss."
"While further studies are now needed, this finding shows the abundance of these
toxic protein deposits in the blood could potentially be addressed
amyloid, therefore reducing their risk or slowing the progression of Alzheimer's
disease.
hat's the relationship between diabetes
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and dementia?
here are multiple reasons why years of type 2 diabetes may lead to dementia. One
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reason is related to the effects that diabetes has on the heart, as heart health is
related to brain health. Heart disease and elevated blood pressure are both
associated with strokes that, in turn, can lead to dementia. However, strokesdo not
appear to be thecomplete answer, as somestudiesfound that diabetes led to an
increased risk of dementia even when strokes were controlled for.
Another factor relates to theepisodes of hypoglycemiathat commonly occur in
diabetes. Although tight control of blood sugars has been proven to reduce the
long-term risks of heart disease and strokes, tight control can also lead to
hypoglycemia, memory loss, and dementia. Here, the reason is likely because low
blood sugars are known to damage the hippocampus — the memory center of the
brain.
ne of the more intriguing hypotheses is that diabetes directly causes Alzheimer's
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disease. Indeed, Alzheimer's disease has even been called "type 3 diabetes"
because of shared molecular and cellular features among diabetes and Alzheimer's.
For example,insulin plays a critical rolein theformation of amyloid plaques, and
insulin is also involved in the phosphorylation of tau, which leads to neurofibrillary
tangles. In other words, whereas insulin resistance in the body can lead to type 2
diabetes, insulin resistance in the brain can lead to the plaques and tangles of
Alzheimer's disease.
Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. Treatment considerations included are:
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● anagement of behavioral symptoms
● Helping patients maintain brain health
Medications
Medications: Two types of drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to treat Alzheimer's disease.
Cholinesterase inhibitors
he following cholinesterase inhibitors can help treat the symptoms of mild to
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moderate Alzheimer’s disease:
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● onepezil. This is also FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe AD.
● Rivastigmine
● Galantamine
hese drugs work by blocking the action of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme
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responsible for destroying acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is one of thechemicalsthat
help
These medications don’t cure Alzheimer’s disease or stop the progression of the
isease.
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person with dementia has two or more of these specific difficulties, including a
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change or decline in:
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● nderstanding visual form and space relationship.
● Behavior and personality.
ementia ranges in severity.nerve cells communicate. Researchers believe that
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reduced levels of acetylcholine cause some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s
disease.
These drugs can improve some memory problems and reduce some behavioral
symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. These medications don’t cure Alzheimer’s
disease or stop the progression of the disease.
Inthemildeststage,youmaynoticeaslightdeclineinyourmentalfunctioningand
requiresomeassistanceondailytasks.Atthemostseverestage,apersondepends
completely on others for help with simple daily tasks.
Dementia develops when infections or diseases impact the parts of your brain
involved with learning, memory, decision-making or language. Alzheimer’s disease
is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for at least two-thirds of
dementia cases in people 65 and older.
● ascular dementia.
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● Dementia with Lewy bodies.
● Frontotemporal dementia.
● Dementia due to Parkinson’s disease
Symptoms
The person affected with Alzheimer's has difficulty performing the most
traightforward task of daily routine activities. Alzheimer's symptoms are:
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● The person cannot drive a car
● Trouble in cooking
● Trouble in handling money
● Judgment is poor
● Mood changes
● Ask the same question many times
● The person has so much confusion
● The patient may experience worries and anger, and at times they may be
violent due to the disease progression.
● Problems recognising friends and family
● Impulsive behavior
● The person cannot communicate
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● allucinations
● Mood swings
● Anxiety