The history of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is a terrible problem that has been affecting those old in age for centuries. Most of the knowledge that we have about the affliction, we've learned within the past one hundred years. In this article, we'll give you a brief history of our knowledge of the disease, letting you know where our basic understandings of the disease came from and some of the advances that are being made today.
Alzheimer's disease was first discovered by a German doctor named Alois Alzheimer. The doctor discovered the disease when he was performing an autopsy on a woman who died of a mysterious, unknown form of mental illness. When Alzheimer studied the brain of the woman, he was shocked to find the presence of abnormal lumps of plaque and twisted fibers present in her brain that were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. These two odd parts of the woman's anatomy proved to be the basis for Alzheimer's disease, with the lumps becoming known as neuritic plaques and the fibers being called neurofibrillary tangles. To this day, the presence of these lumps and fibers are the way that doctors can confirm the presence of Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, these symptoms can only be seen via an autopsy performed after a patient's death.
One discovery that changed our knowledge of Alzheimer's disease is when Familial Alzheimer's disease was discovered. This subset of the disease occurs in approximately 10 percent of all patients with Alzheimer's, and it is a particularly aggressive form of the disease. It occurs early in almost every case, with most becoming afflicted with the disease before the age of 65. One of the most unfortunate aspects of Familial Alzheimer's disease is the fact that it can be passed down genetically from parent to child. If one parent has Familial Alzheimer's, the child's risk of getting the disease rests at an even 50-50. Familial Alzheimer's is the only type of the disease that can be traced to a genetic abnormality; late-onset Alzheimer's may appear randomly and without just cause.
1993 saw one of the first significant developments in fighting Alzheimer's disease. In this year, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America gave approval to the first drug designed to help Alzheimer's patients. Known as Cognex, the pill worked to increase the amount of acetylcholine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter that can help to slow the mind-damaging aspects of the disease. Within the next few years, 3 more drugs came out in order to increase acetylcholine levels in Alzheimer's patients. In 1997, scientists discovered that the use of Vitamin E and a Parkinson's disease drug known as Eldepryl were shown to be effective in slowing the mental decline of Alzheimer's patients, offering another solution when it comes to slowing the disease. The latest advancement came in 2003 when the FDA approved a radically different drug that is known as Namenda. It is used in order to protect the brain cells of an Alzheimer's patient by blocking the amount of Glutamine that is present in the brain, which can damage the cells.
More and more research is being conducted when it comes to finding possible solutions for those with Alzheimer's, and hopefully, the advancements that are being made will continue to help those with this devastating disease.
Alzheimer's Disease on the Web
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New Clues On How ApoE4 Affects Alzheimer's Risk
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Obama's Grand Plan To Cure Alzheimer's
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Could A Compound Found In Red Wine And Red Grapes Change The Course Of Alzheimer's Disease?
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Memory Improved In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment By Reducing Excess Brain Activity
Research published by Cell Press in the journal Neuron, describes a potential new therapeutic approach for improving memory and modifying disease progression in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The study finds that excess brain activity may be doing more harm than good in some conditions that cause mild cognitive decline and memory impairment... |
Middle Aged And Elderly With Depression Have Higher Risk Of Dementia
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Memantine Improves Some Alzheimer's Symptoms But Has No Effect On Agitation
A drug prescribed for Alzheimer's disease does not ease clinically significant agitation in patients, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the U.K., U.S. and Norway. This is the first randomized controlled trial designed to assess the effectiveness of the drug (generic name memantine) for significant agitation in Alzheimer's patients... |
Discovery Of Potential Trigger For Alzheimer's Disease
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Too Early To Promote Smell Test For Alzheimer's
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Helping Patients With Dementia Live Well
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow unveiled a range of new design prototypes at the Design Council that can help people with dementia to live well, which included a fragrance-release system designed to stimulate appetite, specially-trained 'guide dogs for the mind' and an intelligent wristband that supports people with dementia to stay active safely... |
Strong Support Uncovered For Once-Marginalized Theory On Parkinson's Disease
University of California, San Diego scientists have used powerful computational tools and laboratory tests to discover new support for a once-marginalized theory about the underlying cause of Parkinson's disease. The new results conflict with an older theory that insoluble intracellular fibrils called amyloids cause Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases... |
'Use It Or Lose It' - Protecting Your Brain
The findings of a new study suggest that the protective effects of an active cognitive lifestyle arise through multiple biological pathways. For some time researchers have been aware of a link between what we do with our brains and the long term risk for dementia. In general, those who are more mentally active or maintain an active cognitive lifestyle throughout their lives are at lower risk... |
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