Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible condition that begins with memory loss and the symptoms of the disease become more severe over time, leading to a progressive decline in reasoning and thinking, and causing changes in the person’s personality.
Brain structure and function of different parts of the brain:
The brain is the most important organ in the body, which is the center of the body’s nervous system and controls the body’s vital activities. The brain is made up of four lobes (parts), including the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. The frontal lobe is responsible for controlling muscle movements, complex decision-making, and complex learning. The parietal lobe is responsible for analyzing sensory data. The temporal lobe is responsible for processing hearing, memory, and language skills. The occipital lobe is responsible for processing information related to vision. The limbic system or amygdala is another part of the brain that processes basic emotions such as fear and excitement, and a part called the hippocampus is responsible for short-term memory. The brainstem controls vital signs such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, and the thalamus is an important station between the senses and the four lobes.
Neurons :
Neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system that process and transmit nerve signals one by one, and they do this by transmitting electrical or chemical messages (chemical mediators) between the brain and spinal cord. In Alzheimer’s disease, a gradual death occurs among nerve cells, which leads to a breakdown in communication between cells and the cells are replaced by amyloid plaques. The replacement of nerve cells by amyloid plaques on the one hand and the tangled and disorganized nature of the remaining nerve fibers on the other hand lead to a decrease in the efficiency and effectiveness of nerve cells, and this is what leads to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
As the disease progresses, this decline and disability become more severe, and chemical signals (brain neurotransmitters) also decrease. In Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus, which is responsible for short-term memory, is one of the first places to be damaged. The amygdala is the next part to be damaged, so symptoms such as emotional instability such as outbursts of emotions and lack of control over emotions (such as anger and rage) and excitement occur. Progressive damage to the brain stem leads to irregular sleep patterns. Damage to the frontal lobe (forehead) causes complex activities to be disrupted, and decision-making, performing multi-step and sequential activities (such as cooking) and sensory activities such as hearing and seeing are also disrupted. As the disease progresses, parts of the brain that are involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior are disrupted.
Why is this disease called Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer was the name of a German physician who first discovered amyloid plaques and tangled nerve fibers in the brain structure of a woman who had died from the disease.
Is Alzheimer’s disease hereditary?
Early-onset Alzheimer’s or familial Alzheimer’s is a rare hereditary disease that occurs between the ages of 35-65. The children of a couple in which one of them has early-onset Alzheimer’s have a 50% chance of developing this disease, but late-onset Alzheimer’s after the age of 65 is not entirely dependent on genes, and the children of a person with this type of Alzheimer’s do not necessarily develop it.
Symptoms of the disease :
Symptoms of the disease often appear long after the onset of the disease pathology.
Are there any warning signs before the disease occurs?
1- Short-term memory impairment, such as forgetting daily tasks and tasks to the point that it disrupts daily life or the inability to remember anything
2- Inability to plan or solve everyday life problems such as paying monthly bills, etc.
3- Inability to complete family tasks at home
4 – Losing time and space
5- Difficulty understanding visual images, inability to read, judge distances and addresses, colors and contrasts
6- Inability to use words in speaking or writing, such that these people are unable to join a conversation.
7- Losing objects and being unable to return to the same path they took.
8- Demotion from work and social status and inability to tolerate change
9- Changes in mood and personality: These people may become confused, pessimistic, depressed and fearful, anxious and nervous. These people may easily become upset at home, at work or in relationships with friends. In the early stages, in addition to reduced memory power and inability and difficulty in learning, symptoms such as decreased energy and reduced ability to perform spontaneous movements, constant mood swings (from one state to another in a short period of time), confusion, inability to establish contact with the environment (which ultimately leads to the person becoming disabled and isolated) arise, so that over time they choose only familiar people and familiar environments to communicate. In more advanced stages, the person needs help to carry out simple activities and responsibilities. In this stage, the person has more memory impairment than in the previous stage and forgets things he/she has done recently. In this stage, he/she may not recognize acquaintances well. He/she has difficulty speaking, reading, writing, and dressing. He/she has sleep disorders, and at this stage, the person becomes almost physically disabled. In the advanced stage, the person becomes completely disabled. He/she loses the ability to eat, speak, and recognize people, and suffers from incontinence and lack of control over urine and feces. Over time, they become physically weaker and weaker, especially the group that is bedridden, suffering from diseases such as respiratory disorders, bed sores, and so on.
Are there other diseases that produce a similar picture of these symptoms? Yes, some diseases and some medications can mimic these symptoms, such as tumors, cerebrovascular accidents, severe depression, thyroid disorders, and eating disorders. Early diagnosis of these disorders helps in more successful treatment of these symptoms.
Who may get Alzheimer’s?
People whose parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after the age of 65 may develop Alzheimer’s. Environmental factors such as low education level, poor diet, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and deficiency of certain vitamins can increase the risk of developing this disease.
Therefore, proper nutrition rich in vitamins, controlling blood lipids and cholesterol, controlling sugar in diabetics, and controlling blood pressure in people with high blood pressure, exercising, sleeping well, and performing mental activities that involve thinking, memory, logic, and judgment (such as solving puzzles and memorizing poems), controlling stress levels, and having an active social life can all play a role in preventing Alzheimer’s.
