Alzheimers: The Incurable Disease

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Alzheimers The Incurable Disease

• Derrick Davies, Anna Espe,
• Nicole Paschall

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What is Alzheimers Disease

• Brain Disease
• Destroys brain cells and nerves
• Disrupts the message carrying transmitters
• Contains lower levels of message chemicals

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Alois Alzheimer

• Doctor from Germany
• Noticed abnormal plaques and tangles in a woman
  who died of an unusual mental disorder

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The Risk Factors

• Age
• Family History

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The First Signs of AD

• Mild forgetfulness
• Difficulty of completing everyday tasks
• Forgetting simple words
• Getting lost

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Progressing Symptoms

• Forgetting names and recent events
• Changing personalities
• Problems with Speech
• Sleeping more than usual

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Diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease

• Only confirmed after someones death
• Make a possible or probable diagnosis
• Look at family history

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Tools to Diagnose Possible AD

• General health
• Past medical problems
• Difficulties carrying out daily activities
• Medical tests
• Memory tests
• Brain Scans

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What is Actually Happening

• Nerve cells die in regions of the brain
• Gaps develop in the temporal lobe and hippocampus
• The brain shrinks
• Protein fragments make tangles and plaques

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The Four Stages of AD

• Preclinical Stage
• Mild Stage
• Moderate Stage
• Severe Stage

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Preclinical Alzheimers Disease

• Begins in the entorhinal cortex
• Proceeds to the hippocampus
• Affected regions begin to shrink
• Changes start 10 to 20 years before visible signs
  and symptoms appear

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Mild Alzheimers Disease

• Affects cerebral cortex
• Growing numbers of plaques and tangles damage
  areas of the brain
• Clinical diagnosis made during this stage

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Moderate Alzheimers Disease

• Spreads to further areas of the cerebral cortex
• Regions begin to waste away
• Language, reasoning, sensory processing and
  conscious thought begin to deteriorate

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Severe Alzheimers Disease

• Plaques and tangles are widespread throughout the
  brain
• Cannot recognize familiar faces or things
• Cannot communicate
• Usually die from other illnesses

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Who has Alzheimers Disease?

• Four-million Americans
• 3 of men and women ages 65 to 74
• 50 of men and women over the age of 85

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CURENT FINDINGS

• Is there proof that the research is getting
  anywhere ??

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Concrete Facts

• There is no cure for Alzheimers patients
• Only acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have been
  FDA approved as treatment.
• There are several other factors that have shown
  promising for delaying the onset of Alzheimers

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The Approved Drugs

• Rivastigmine
• Donepezil
• Tacrine
• Galantimine
• ALL WORK VIA ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE INHIBITION.

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Rivastigmine Mechanism

• How long will the drug inhibit the enzyme?
• X-ray crystallography
• Two parts 1. Carbamyl moity
• 2. NAP
• Remains in active site

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Genetics

• Familial Alzheimers
• Aploipoprotein (apoE)

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Nerve Growth Factors

• Dendrites and Axons
• Nasal Spray
• Implants

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Nicotine

• Brain Lesions
• Attach AcCh receptors
• Stimulate receptors to trick brain

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Pacemaker

• Hippocampus
• Mathematical model
• 2 electrodes penetrate skull

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Other drugs

• NAIDS
• Over-the-counter
• Glutamate
• FDDNP

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High Costs

• Numbers will increase
• Funding is low
• Increasing need for permanent, effective
  treatment and care

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The Future of Alzheimers Disease

• Theories
• Treatments
• Possible Vaccine

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Theories of Cause of Alzheimer Disease

• Deficiencies
• High Levels
• Beta amyloid

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Possible Prevention of Alzheimer

• Supplements (Example are anitoxidents, Vitamins,
  melatonin, Ginkgo Biloba, and Co-Enzyme Q10)

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Treatments

• Three-fold mission
• Slowing progression of cognitive decline
• Managing the behavioral symptoms
• Support and education to caregiver
• The main thing to remember is that there is not
  cure so the symptoms are what are to be treated.

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Possible Vaccine

• Early attempt (2002)
• Fights beta-amyloids