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Alzheimer's disease (view source)
Revision as of 04:43, September 11, 2011
, 04:43, September 11, 2011no edit summary
'''Alzheimer's disease''' (AD) is the most common form of [[dementia]] among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.
'''Alzheimer's disease''' (AD) is the most common form of [[dementia]] among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.
Alzheimer's disease is "characterised by loss of neurons and synapses in the [[cerebral cortex]] and certain subcortical regions. This loss results in gross atrophy of the affected regions, including degeneration in the [[temporal lobes|temporal lobe]] and [[parietal lobe]], and parts of the frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus.<ref>http://www.news-medical.net/health/Neurodegeneration-in-Alzheimers-and-Parkinsons.aspx</ref> Some of the primary symptoms of alzheimer's disease are: memory problems, mood swings, emotional outbursts, brain stem damage which impairs function in the heart, lungs plus causes disruption of various other bodily processes.<ref>http://www.dementiacarecentral.com/node/559</ref>
An abstract of the medical study entitled ''Measures to Assess the Noncognitive Symptoms of Dementia in the Primary Care Setting'' by Brent P. Forester, M.D. and Thomas E. Oxman, M.D. inidcated "Noncognitive symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias include psychosis, mood disturbances, personality changes, agitation, aggression, pacing, wandering, altered sexual behavior, changed sleep patterns, and appetite disturbances. These noncognitive symptoms of dementia are common, disabling to both the patient and the caregiver, and costly."<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC419385/</ref>
According to the Center for Neuro Skills:
{{cquote|Kolb & Wishaw (1990) have identified eight principle symptoms of temporal lobe damage: 1) disturbance of auditory sensation and perception, 2) disturbance of selective attention of auditory and visual input, 3) disorders of visual perception, 4) impaired organization and categorization of verbal material, 5) disturbance of language comprehension, 6) impaired long-term memory, 7) altered personality and affective behavior, 8) altered sexual behavior.<ref>http://www.neuroskills.com/tbi/btemporl.shtml</ref>}}
AD begins slowly. It first involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. People with AD may have trouble remembering things that happened recently or names of people they know. Over time, symptoms get worse. People may not recognize family members or have trouble speaking, reading or writing. They may forget how to brush their teeth or comb their hair. Later on, they may become anxious or aggressive, or wander away from home. Eventually, they need total care.
AD begins slowly. It first involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. People with AD may have trouble remembering things that happened recently or names of people they know. Over time, symptoms get worse. People may not recognize family members or have trouble speaking, reading or writing. They may forget how to brush their teeth or comb their hair. Later on, they may become anxious or aggressive, or wander away from home. Eventually, they need total care.