Degenerative disease of the brain Alzheimer’s disease . This is a progressive which causes thinking and memory to become seriously impaired. The most common form of dementia it is. (Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities.: Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Lewy body Dementia related diseases include.)
By Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906 the disease was first identified. The two hallmarks of the disease: “plaques” – numerous tiny dense deposits scattered throughout the brain which become toxic to brain cells at excessive levels and “tangles” which interfere with vital processes eventually “choking” off the living cells he described. The brain markedly shrinks in some regions, when brain cells degenerate and die,
A person with Alzheimer’s disease has less brain tissue than a person who does not have the disease . Affecting how the brain functions this shrinkage will continue over time,. Various abilities become impaired as Alzheimer’s disease progresses and affects different areas of the brain,. The result is changes in abilities and/or behaviour. At present, once an ability is lost, it is not known to return. Research however, is now suggesting that some relearning may be possible.
