Alzheimers

The brains of AlzheimerÆs patients contain amyloid plaques and tangles of neurofibrils (Gale, 2001). Although the neurofibrillary tangles are not unique to AlzheimerÆs, the severity of mental impairment correlates with loss of synaptic connections between brain cells, followed by the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques are found in the brains of normal people, but occur in much larger numbers in the brains of AlzheimerÆs patients. Neurotransmitters are found in lower concentrations in the brains of AlzheimerÆs patients.

The first symptoms of AlzheimerÆs disease is memory loss for recent events, which is much more severe than that normally occurring with advancing age (Gale, 2001). Patients with AlzheimerÆs disease may remain physically healthy, the mental decline continues, and later symptoms include disorientatio

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. The goal of research into AlzheimerÆs disease is to prevent the loss of synapses and neurons in the areas of the brain responsible for memory and cognition (Growdon, The Search 2002). Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors currently used to treat the cognitive symptoms of AlzheimerÆs disease temporarily compensate for the loss of nerve cells, but donÆt treat the underlying cause. Antiamyloid drugs and antioxidants are two promising strategies currently being explored. These drugs are hoped to target the cause of the central loss of synapses and neurons. Antiamyloid drugs would block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance of amyloid plaques, which may be responsible for initiating the events leading to AlzheimerÆs disease, and believed to be toxic to neurons. In the production of beta-amylase, an enzyme called alpha-secretase cuts the protein in half into nontoxic fragments. If there is overactivation of two other enzymes, beta-secretase and gamma-secretase, a shorter, stickier protein, beta-amyloid, is formed. Current research is trying to develop drugs which either stimulate alpha-secretase, or inhibit beta- and gamma-secretase. Antioxidants could reduce the damage to neurons from free radicals (Growdon, The Search,
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Approximate Word count = 1933
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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