Notes+for+Alzheimer's+Disease,+JM


 * QUESTION: What is the cause of Alzheimer’s? **
 * Citation** http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/adfact.htm

- No one knows - 3 main theories - Cholinergic Hypothesis - Amyloid hypothesis - Tau Hypothesis **Notes** i. ** Cholinergic Hypothesis: **Cholinergic Hypothesis is the oldest of the three hypotheses. It proposes that Alzheimer’s Disease it caused by the reduced production of a chemical called acetylcholine, which aides neurotransmission, that is, the ability of nerve cells to communicate with each other. Cholinergic Hypothesis has not maintained widespread scientific support primarily because of the ineffectiveness of drugs meant to counteract the acetylcholine deficiency. ii. ** Amyloid Hypothesis: **The Amyloid Hypothesis states that the primary cause of Alzheimer’s Disease is the build up Amyloid Beta in the brain. This theory is backed up by the fact that the protein responsible for Amyloid Beta synthesis is located in Chromosome 21, and people with Down Syndrome who have an extra copy of Chromosome 21 almost always develop Alzheimer’s Disease by age 40. It was also found that the gene APOE 4, the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease, leads to increased levels of Amyloid Beta. It has also been observed the GM mice with a mutant beta Amyloid production protein gene develop Amyloid build-up similar to those with Alzheimer’s disease. In many cases Amyloid Beta neuro deposits precede Alzheimer’s disease. An experimental vaccine has been used in early human trials to clear the Beta Amyloid plaques, but it did not have a significant impact on reducing dementia. iii. ** Tau Hypothesis: ** The Tau Hypothesis postulates that abnormal tau proteins in the brain cause Alzheimer’s disease. In this hypothesis a certain Tau Protein begin to pair with each other, creating long threads of Tau. These threads eventually form neurofibrilly tangles inside the nerve cells. Once this happens the connects between the nerve cells start to fail, inhibiting neuro-transmission. Tau tangles may also be responsible for the failing of biochemical communication between neurons and the latter neuron death.
 * Subject of notes**
 * No one is sure what exactly causes Alzheimer’s Disease
 * There are three main theories:
 * Intro pargraph
 * Pictures of hypothesises


 * QUESTION: What are the effects of Alzheimer’s disease (signs and symptoms)? **
 * Citation ** ** L ** andau, Elaine. __Alzheimer's Disease: A Forgotten Life__. 1. New York: Franklin Watts, 2005.

Effects **&** Alzheimer’s Disease
 * Subject of notes**

· Repeatedly asking the same questions · Neglecting personal hygiene, safety, and nutrition · Becoming increasingly forgetful - forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common signs for dementia. The person then begins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later. · Having difficulty with abstract thought – people with Alzheimer's disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are and how they should be used. · Having trouble with language – people with Alzheimer’s disease forget simple words and/or replace the words they want to use with unusual words. · Disorientation involving time and location – people with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in neighborhoods that they’ve been living in for over 30 years, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home. · Poor judgment – people with Alzheimer's may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the winter. They may show poor judgment about money, like giving away large sums to telemarketers. · Having trouble with performing daily tasks – find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. · Personality and behavior changes – people with Alzheimer’s disease may show rapid mood swings for no apparent reason. The personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful, dependent, etc on a family member. · Loss of initiative - A person with Alzheimer's disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities. · Misplacing things - A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl
 * Notes**
 * Start out – 10 most common signs of Alzheimer’s.
 * Intro Paragraph, then list.
 * Pictures of different symptoms.

**[] ** ** Subject of Notes ** > > **Notes**
 * QUESTION: What is the treatment for Alzheimer’s? Is there a cure? **
 * Citation ** []
 * No Cure
 * Four FDA and EMEA approved treatments Aricept, Namenda, Excelon/Razadyne, and Cognex
 * There are some therapies that can be helpful
 * There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s Disease
 * While there is treatment for the symptoms and if they are taken early enough they may even slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
 * One of the four FDA and EMEA approved treatments is Aricept. Aricept helps by slow down the breaking down of a chemical called acetylcholine. In the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients there is a lack of sufficient acetylcholine which causes some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Aricept helps to slow the breakdown of acetylcholine. It is the only medication approved for all four stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It can improve mental functions which have an effect on memory and daily living. Though Aricept can slow down Alzheimer’s disease it is not a cure and cannot work indefinitely
 * One of the four FDA and EMEA approved treatments is Namenda. Namenda helps by regulating a chemical glutamate. Glutamate is a chemical that regulates how much of a certain chemical is allowed into the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease patients there is too much Glutamate. The excess of glutamate blocks important chemicals need for healthy brain function to be released. Namenda works by reducing the amount of glutamate, which in turn allows more of the necessary chemicals into the brain, which in turn increases the brains ability to process information and retrieve memories. Namenda is approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.
 * One of the four FDA and EMEA approved treatments is Exelon/Razadyne. Excelon/Razadyne works similarly to Aricept by inhibiting the break down of Aricept. However, it is newer and aimed for the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease specifically to slow down its progression.
 * One of the four FDA and EMEA approved treatments is Cognex. Cognex is another drug similar to Aricept that works by inhibiting the breakdown of Aricept. However Cognex has more sever side effects such as nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and indigestion and in some people it may even cause liver damage.
 * There are other emotion oriented and psychological oriented therapies that can help to a lesser degree and to help the patient and family adjust to living with the disease but these therapies can only slightly slow the progression or treat Alzheimer’s disease.


 * Intro paragraph
 * Pictures of therapies and research scientists


 * QUESTION: Can you protect yourself from getting Alzheimer’s, or make choices that will lessen the chances of getting it? **
 * Citation** []

- no way of preventing - vitamins
 * Subject of notes**


 * Notes**
 * There is no clear way of preventing Alzheimer’s disease, though there have been many studies, few have been conclusive and many have been contradictory. A few of the proposed prevention methods are as follows, but none of them have been proven to work
 * The Mediterranean Diet with high amounts of fruit, vegetables, bread, wheat, and other cereals, olive oil, fish, and red wine may collectively or individually lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
 * <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vitamins such as B12, B3, C, and Folic Acid have been shown to reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s disease. However other studies have been contradictory to this claim and may even have adverse effects
 * <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Curcumin from the curry spice turmeric has been shown to prevent the some of the brain damage caused by Alzheimer’s Disease in mice, but has not been tested on people.
 * <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cardiovascular risk factor have also been associated with risk of Alzheimer’s disease such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking but drugs meant to address these risk factors have not been shown to prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
 * <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">High levels of mental and social activity is though to delay the onset and reduce the severity of Alzheimer’s disease. Bilingual people have been shown to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
 * <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Studies have show that occupational risks such as exposure to magnetic fields, intake of metals (especially aluminum), and solvents are related to earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease but these have not been conclusive.
 * Intro paragraph
 * Images of vitamins

<span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[] [] - Ronald Reagan - Letter to American people - Fundraiser
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">QUESTION: **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer’s Disease.
 * Citation**
 * Subject of notes**

<span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, died of pneumonia, a complication of Alzheimer’s disease on Saturday, June 5th, 2004 at the age of 93. In 1994, he had announced that he was suffering from the disease by hand writing a letter to the American people. Nov. 5 1994 My Fellow Americans, I have recently been told that I am one of the Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease. Upon learning this news, Nancy & I had to decide whether as private citizens we would keep this a private matter or whether we would make this news known in a public way. In the past Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had my cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result many more people underwent testing. They were treated in early stages and able to return to normal, healthy lives. So now, we feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clearer understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it. At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done. I will continue to share life's journey with my beloved Nancy and my family. I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch with my friends and supporters. Unfortunately, as Alzheimer's Disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes I am confident that with your help she will face it with faith and courage. In closing let me thank you, the American people for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be I will face it with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you. Sincerely, Ronald Reagan <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I t was only during his second term in office that some psychologists began to notice some possible symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in his conversation, speech, and behavior. <span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">At one of the press conferences, he was asked about his plans for meetings with the Russians on weapons. Instead of answering straight off, he seemed confused by the question and was unable to find the words he was trying to say. His wife, Nancy Reagan whispered loudly, “Tell them we’re doing everything we can.” Hearing that, he echoed, “We’re doing everything we can.” In November 1994, Ronald Reagan announced that he has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. In 1995, he set up the Ronald and Nancy Research Fund with his wife. They aimed to raise 100 million dollars for research that had to do with Alzheimer’s disease. Since then, the Ronald and Nancy Research Fund has helped pay for research and for treatment to be figured out to be provided for in a safe way. Harry Cayton, former chief executive of the UK Alzheimer's Disease Society, w hich has worked closely with the Reagan fund, had some great things to say in memory of President Reagan. "Ronald Reagan's openness has done a great deal to raise the profile of Alzheimer's disease," he said. "It is probably the single most important event in terms of raising public awareness. "It seemed to me to be a fantastically courageous thing for a man who was known as the great communicator to do. "There is no doubt that whatever people thought about him as a politician he became a champion for people with Alzheimer's disease and their careers throughout the world. "For people to see a man who was so powerful and such a great communicator reduced to a shambling and uncertain figure really brought home to people how devastating this disease is." Mr. Cayton said Ronald Reagan had also encouraged other celebrates, like the novelist Iris Murdoch and Charlton Heston, to come forth and admit that they too, had Alzheimer’s disease. "There was no doubt that Mr. Reagan was a kind of focus of attention. He enabled us to take the whole debate forward in a way that would not have otherwise have been possible - he speeded things up fantastically."
 * Notes**
 * Intro paragraph
 * pictures of Ronald Reagan and Fundraiser


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