Transcript Alzheimers

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What is Alzheimer's
What causes Alzheimer’s
What parts of the brain are affected
How do you detect Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s sample test
Who is at risk
A movie and links on Alzheimer’s
What is Alzheimer’s?
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Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease of the
brain.
The disease attacks nerve cells in all parts of
the cortex of the brain, as well as some
surrounding structures.
In the end, an afflicted person loses all
memory and mental functioning.
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What causes Alzheimer’s?
Some speculated causes of Alzheimer's are :
 a slow acting virus
 toxic substances (e.g., aluminum in nonnatural sources).
 Homocysteine (an amino acid) is linked to
Alzheimer's. It is a known risk factor in heart
disease and high blood pressure, and known
to be harmful to nerve cells.
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What parts of the Brain are
affected?
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The hippocampus, which is
part of the limbic system
and in part functions as the
focal point where processes
leading to memory storage
and retrieval begin.
The cortex, which is used in
forming associations
between ideas and
memories.
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How do you detect
Alzheimer’s?
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Diagnosis is done by asking the individual a
series of questions to test their short term
memory.
Alzheimer's can also be diagnosed by ruling
out other explanations for a memory deficit,
such as a tumor, or stroke.
Diagnosis is only about 90% accurate. The
only way to know that a person has
Alzheimer's for sure is to do an autopsy after
the person dies.
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An example of a test to
diagnose Alzheimer’
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Click here to take the Mini Mental State
Exam.
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Who is at risk for developing
Alzheimer’
Age
The number of cases of Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years
in people over 65. By age 85, almost half of all people are afflicted.
Family History
 People with a family history of the disease are at higher than average
risk for Alzheimer’s due to genetics.
Gender
 A number of studies suggest that women are more likely to get it while
one reported that men are more likely to suffer age-related brain
damage.
Population Differences
 African Americans and Hispanics may have a higher risk than
Caucasian Americans.
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Alzheimer's disease occurs less frequently in the Native American
Cherokees and in Asians.
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A movie on Alzheimer’s
disease…
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You will need real ONE to view this video.
Alzheimer’s
Links to Alzheimer’s
resources…
Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center
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