Physical Changes In The Brain Lead To The Pathology Of Alzheimer’s Disease
The elements of the pathology of Alzheimers disease are amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and inflammation.
In recent years-with the help of research sponsored by Cure Alzheimers Fund-a scientific consensus has begun to form about the origin of Alzheimers disease. It is believed that the disease develops as a vicious cycle of Abeta peptide accumulation, nerve cell death, and inflammation which is followed by additional nerve cell death. Genetic and environmental factors can trigger Abeta accumulation, tau tangle formation, and inflammation. Once one part of the pathology is in place, it then acts as a trigger for the other parts for example, Abeta accumulation can lead to increased inflammation, and vice versa. This cycle then continues, causing more and more damage and nerve cell death. Eventually, this damage becomes so severe that the patient begins to experience a loss in cognitive function.
- An early-phase intervention, inhibiting the production of the Abeta protein, and/or clearing it from the brain after it forms
- A mid-phase intervention that would inhibit the formation of Tau tangles and protect neurons from undue stress
- A late-phase intervention that would fight inflammation and thus slow down or even stop the disease process
Experts now believe these amyloid plaques, and the tangles they form, start occurring in peoples brains 10 to 15 years before any symptoms like memory loss begin to show.
Causes Of Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementia is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which damages and eventually kills brain cells.
This can happen as a result of:
- narrowing and blockage of the small blood vessels inside the brain
- a single stroke, where the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly cut off
- lots of “mini strokes” that cause tiny but widespread damage to the brain
Not everyone who has a stroke will go on to develop vascular dementia.
Read more about vascular dementia.
What Is Lewy Body Dementia Causes Symptoms And Treatments
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Lewy body dementia is a disease associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain whose changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. Lewy body dementia is one of the most common causes of dementia.
LBD affects more than 1 million individuals in the United States. People typically show symptoms at age 50 or older, although sometimes younger people have LBD. LBD appears to affect slightly more men than women.
Diagnosing LBD can be challenging. Early LBD symptoms are often confused with similar symptoms found in other brain diseases or in psychiatric disorders. Lewy body dementia can occur alone or along with other brain disorders.
It is a progressive disease, meaning symptoms start slowly and worsen over time. The disease lasts an average of five to eight years from the time of diagnosis to death, but can range from two to 20 years for some people. How quickly symptoms develop and change varies greatly from person to person, depending on overall health, age, and severity of symptoms.
In the early stages of LBD, symptoms can be mild, and people can function fairly normally. As the disease advances, people with LBD require more help due to a decline in thinking and movement abilities. In the later stages of the disease, they often depend entirely on others for assistance and care.
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Causes Of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of 2 proteins called amyloid and tau.
Deposits of amyloid, called plaques, build up around brain cells. Deposits of tau form “tangles” within brain cells.
Researchers do not fully understand how amyloid and tau are involved in the loss of brain cells, but research into this is continuing.
As brain cells become affected in Alzheimer’s, there’s also a decrease in chemical messengers involved in sending messages, or signals, between brain cells.
Levels of 1 neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, are particularly low in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Medicines like donepezil increase levels of acetylcholine, and improve brain function and symptoms.
These treatments are not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but they do help improve symptoms.
Read more about treatments for dementia.
The symptoms that people develop depend on the areas of the brain that have been damaged by the disease.
The hippocampus is often affected early on in Alzheimer’s disease. This area of the brain is responsible for laying down new memories. That’s why memory problems are one of the earliest symptoms in Alzheimer’s.
Unusual forms of Alzheimer’s disease can start with problems with vision or with language.
Read more about Alzheimer’s disease.
What Increases The Risk For Dementia
- AgeThe strongest known risk factor for dementia is increasing age, with most cases affecting those of 65 years and older
- Family historyThose who have parents or siblings with dementia are more likely to develop dementia themselves.
- Race/ethnicityOlder African Americans are twice more likely to have dementia than whites. Hispanics 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than whites.
- Poor heart healthHigh blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking increase the risk of dementia if not treated properly.
- Traumatic brain injuryHead injuries can increase the risk of dementia, especially if they are severe or occur repeatedly.
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What Are The Causes Of Dementia
Dementia is caused by damage to your brain. Dementia affects your brains nerve cells, which destroys your brains ability to communicate with its various areas. Dementia can also result from blocked blood flow to your brain, depriving it of needed oxygen and nutrients. Without oxygen and nutrients, brain tissue dies.
Damage to your brain results in different symptoms, depending on the area of your brain affected. Some dementias arent reversible and will worsen over time. Other dementias are due to other medical conditions that also affect your brain. Another group of health issues can result in dementia-like symptoms. Many of these conditions are treatable, and the dementia symptoms are reversible.
All of the possible causes of dementia are discussed in the question, Are there different types of dementia?
How Is Dementia Diagnosed
To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying, potentially treatable, condition that may relate to cognitive difficulties. A physical exam to measure blood pressure and other vital signs, as well as laboratory tests of blood and other fluids to check levels of various chemicals, hormones, and vitamins, can help uncover or rule out possible causes of symptoms.
A review of a persons medical and family history can provide important clues about risk for dementia. Typical questions might include asking about whether dementia runs in the family, how and when symptoms began, changes in behavior and personality, and if the person is taking certain medications that might cause or worsen symptoms.
The following procedures also may be used to diagnose dementia:
Early detection of symptoms is important, as some causes can be treated. However, in many cases, the cause of dementia is unknown and cannot be treated. Still, obtaining an early diagnosis can help with managing the condition and planning ahead.
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A And Tau Prions Spread Through The Brains Of Ad Patients
Prion protein is a special conformation of a protein encoded by the host, with self-reproduction ability, superior infectivity, tenacious viability, and the ability to remain concealed, even surviving in the normal denaturing environment of the digestive system. Prions can cause a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in humans, including CreutzfeldtJakob disease , GerstmannSträusslerScheinker syndrome , and fatal familial insomnia in humans . These diseases can occur spontaneously or through genetics or infection.
Studies have shown that A spreads through the brain via a pathogenic conformation similar to PrPSc . Brain-derived A and synthetic A from AD patients injected into the brain of transgenic mice showed prion-like appearances , which induced plaque formation and extensive deposition of A. Brain extracts from age-matched patients without AD showed minimal accumulation of A . An autopsy in a few studies also revealed that some patients had a large amount of A deposition in the brain after death, after receiving dura mater transplantation and cadaveric growth hormone, which may mean that A can be transmitted interpersonally through iatrogenic methods. Prion-like A activity participates in the pathogenesis of AD. The formation of prion-like A begins in one or more brain regions and then spreads to other brain regions, reflecting cross-synaptic transmission.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Dementia
- Alzheimers disease. This is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases. It is caused by specific changes in the brain. The trademark symptom is trouble remembering recent events, such as a conversation that occurred minutes or hours ago, while difficulty remembering more distant memories occurs later in the disease. Other concerns like difficulty with walking or talking or personality changes also come later. Family history is the most important risk factor. Having a first-degree relative with Alzheimers disease increases the risk of developing it by 10 to 30 percent.
- Vascular dementia. About 10 percent of dementia cases are linked to strokes or other issues with blood flow to the brain. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Symptoms vary depending on the area and size of the brain impacted. The disease progresses in a step-wise fashion, meaning symptoms will suddenly get worse as the individual gets more strokes or mini-strokes.
- Lewy body dementia. In addition to more typical symptoms like memory loss, people with this form of dementia may have movement or balance problems like stiffness or trembling. Many people also experience changes in alertness including daytime sleepiness, confusion or staring spells. They may also have trouble sleeping at night or may experience visual hallucinations .
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Whats The Difference Between Dementia And Alzheimers Disease
Dementia is a description of the state of a persons mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia is an umbrella category describing mental decline thats severe enough to interfere with daily living.
There are many underlying causes of dementia, including Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease. Alzheimers disease is the most common underlying cause of dementia.
Coping With Cognitive Changes
Some medications used to treat Alzheimer’s disease also may be used to treat the cognitive symptoms of LBD. These drugs, called cholinesterase inhibitors, act on a chemical in the brain that is important for memory and thinking. They may also improve hallucinations, apathy, and delusions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved one Alzheimer’s drug, rivastigmine, to treat cognitive symptoms in Parkinson’s disease dementia. Several other drugs are being tested as possible treatments for LBD symptoms or to disrupt the underlying disease process.
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The Pathophysiology Of Dementia: What Causes It
Many of us know someone who is experiencing dementia. What can you do to help them? Understanding dementia and its causes is a good step toward being able to provide your loved ones the support they need.
Dementia is commonly misrepresented as being an illness where you lose your memory. However, dementia is a symptom of various conditions and not a disease in itself. There are several ways it can materialize, with each illness affecting the body physiologically in varying ways. This process is known as the pathophysiology and its goal is to explain the changes that happen in the body when a disease is present. This article will outline the pathophysiology of dementia, including some of the most common ailments that lead to it and general treatment advice for the condition.
Chronic alcohol abuse can shrink brain cells in addition to be being highly dangerous and toxic for other body parts and organs such as the liver and the heart.
Whichever one of these illnesses your loved one is going through, remember you are not alone in this struggle. Support is available.
What Treatment Options Are There for Dementia?
Except for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, dementia and its associated diseases are incurable and cannot be reversed. Treatment cannot address the pathophysiology of dementia in the brain however, it is possible to treat its symptoms.
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What Can I Expect If I Have Dementia
Getting a diagnosis of dementia is certainly difficult to hear. Several types of dementia arent reversible. Others are a side effect of other serious diseases. Some dementia-like symptoms are due to conditions that can be treated and reversed.
Your healthcare team, which will probably include a neurologist and/or a geriatric-psychiatrist or a geriatrician, will order the needed tests to make the correct diagnosis. The medications available today focus on slowing the decline.
The goal is to maintain your or your loved ones quality of life. Some people with Alzheimers dementia can live up to two decades, but each person has their own unique course. Researchers continue learning about the mechanisms that cause dementia and testing different methods to slow, and someday, hopefully, cure this disease.
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Lewy Body Dementia Research
Many avenues of research are being explored to improve our understanding of LBD. Some researchers are working to identify the specific differences in the brain between the two types of LBD. Others are looking at the disease’s underlying biology, genetics, and environmental risk factors. Still other scientists are trying to identify biomarkers , improve screening tests to aid diagnosis, and research new treatments.
Scientists hope that new knowledge about LBD will one day lead to more effective treatments and even ways to cure and prevent the disorder. Until then, researchers need volunteers with and without LBD for clinical studies.
NIH and other groups help people learn about clinical trials and studies and find research opportunities near them. Visit the following websites for details:
What Is Dementia Symptoms Types And Diagnosis
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Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.
Dementia is more common as people grow older but it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.
There are several different forms of dementia, including Alzheimers disease. A persons symptoms can vary depending on the type.
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What Medications Are Available To Manage Dementia
Drugs approved for the most common form of dementia, Alzheimers disease, include:
- Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil , rivastigmine and galantamine .
- NMDA receptor antagonist memantine .
- Anti-amyloid antibody aducanumab .
Healthcare providers use these drugs to treat people with some of the other forms of dementia.
Cholinesterase inhibitors and the NMDA receptor antagonist affect different chemical processes in your brain. Both drug classes have been shown to provide some benefit in improving or stabilizing memory function in some people with dementia.
Cholinesterase inhibitors manage the chemicals in your brain that allow messages to be sent between brain cells, which is needed for proper brain function. Memantine works similarly to cholinesterase inhibitors except it works on a different chemical messenger and helps the nerve cells survive longer.
Aducanumab targets amyloid proteins, which build up into the plaques seen in the brains of people with Alzheimers disease.
Although none of these drugs appear to stop the progression of the underlying disease, they may slow it down.
If other medical conditions are causing dementia or co-exist with dementia, healthcare providers prescribe the appropriate drugs used to treat those specific conditions. These other conditions include sleeping problems, depression, hallucinations and agitation.
Potential Herbal Drugs For Ad
There are common traditional Indian plants, which could be used for the treatment of Alzheimers, dementia and other neurological disorders. Rasayana drugs of Ayurveda are rich in antioxidants and immunomodulatory agents. The strong antioxidant potential of some of these drugs has already been proven. As the majority of diseases are linked to disruption of the delicate balance between oxidants and antioxidants, the ability to scavenge free radicals or to activate oxidant defenses of cells can be thought of as their main mechanism of action. Many plants can be categorized as Rasayana plant- Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Mandukaparni, Shankapushpi, Vacha, Jatamansi and Jyotshmati. These are the herbs which are specific to brain tissues and classed as brain tonics or rejuvenators.51 Apart from above, several Rasayana drugs have been documented from our labs for beneficial effect in memory deficits and warranted for potential role in dementia and other neurological disorders and might be helpful in AD.5254
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a shrub, part of the solanaceae family. It is considered as adaptogen- a non toxic medication that normalizes physiological functions against chronic stress by engaging the endocrinal and immune systems. Ashwagandha may help restore damaged neuronal circuits by extending its neurite outgrowth.51
Brahmi
Gotu kola
Chandan
Bhilawa
Bhilawa belonging to the family Anacardiaceae. It acts as a brain tonic and is a potent antioxidant agent.51
Haldi
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