[[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 Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's]</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 Alzheimer's disease]</ref>
The current global [[Atheist Population|atheist population]] mostly resides in [[East Asia]] (particularly China) and in [[secular Europe]]/Australia primarily among whites.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, ''Washington Post'', May 23, 2013</ref> See: [[Global atheism]]
Alzheimer's disease is more common among the elderly and in terms of [[global atheism and aging populations]], [[global atheism]] is facing significant challenges in terms of aging populations in East Asia and Europe and atheism is expected to shrink in terms of its market share of the world's population (see: [[Desecularization]]).