Rapid Forgetting & Alzheimer's Disease

As we age, our brains begin losing cells and our natural production of neural chemicals slowly declines. Memory loss is common, but when it interferes in daily life, it is attributed to a condition called dementia, of which Alzheimer's is the most common form.

Prevalence

• According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease afflicts 5.3 million Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Types

• Alzheimer's disease causes 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Other types of dementia are: mild cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Creujtzfeldt-Jakob disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Huntington's disease and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Features

• Dementia is characterized by memory loss that affects daily life; Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and fatal form of dementia. The destruction of brain cells results in learning, working and social impairments. These facts come from the Alzheimer's Association.

Mechanism of Action

• The brain has over 100 billion neurons. In dementia patients, these brain cells die rapidly, beginning with those responsible for short-term memory and learning.

  Scientists, beginning with Alois Alzheimer in 1906, noticed that protein-based structures called plaques and tangles accumulate in the brains of dementia patients. Plaques accumulate between neurons while tangles form inside.

Considerations

• Alzheimer's disease has no cure and scientists are uncertain of the cause, but there have been pharmaceutical advancements in delaying the onset of symptoms.