Old Age Project: Alzheimer’s Disease

BRITTANY CLARK

PSYCHOLOGY 2078

4/16/2014

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Most common form of dementia (Alzheimer's Association, 2014)

50- 80% of dementia cases

Cognitive disorder

Affects mental and physical function

Memory, language, reasoning

Due to a reduced amount of acetylcholine, which helps the brain with memory

Usually occurs in middle to old age adult

However, it is not a part of normal aging (Alzheimer's Association, 2014)

Worsens over time

Effects of Alzheimer’s• Difficulty

remembering newly learned information

• Alzheimer’s begins by changing the part of the brain that affects learning

• Mood changes

• Confusion

• Difficulty doing every day activities

Causes of Alzheimer’s

Age is a primary factor in Alzheimer’s disease (Santrock, 2012). Nearly half of those older than age 85 have Alzheimer's (Mayo Clinic, 2014);

Genes can cause Alzheimer’s as well. ApoE4 is an allele that is linked to the complications that cause Alzheimer’s

(Santrock, 2012).

However, genes cause Alzheimer’s Disease less than 5% of the time (Mayo Clinic, 2014).

Lifestyle choices may also cause Alzheimer’s. Factors that increase the chance of heart disease may also increase the chance of

Alzheimer’s Disease (Mayo Clinic, 2014).

Smoking, lack of exercise, high blood pressure

How does Alzheimer’s

happen?• Still a mystery

• Each nerve cell in the brain communicates with one another.

• Alzheimer’s affects this connection.

• Changes the tissue of the brain

• Nerve cells in the brain die, the brain shrinks, and the damage spreads (NIH Senior Health, 2012).

Prevention of Alzheimer’s

To reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease:

Get educated about the disease

Stimulate your brain

Read

Play a musical instrument

Treatment of Alzheimer

Drugs

Currently do not cure the disease, but slows the progression

Cholinesterase inhibitors

Boost cell communication

Increase levels of acetylcholine

Memantine (Mayo Clinic, 2014

can be paired with cholinesterase inhibitors

Slows the symptoms

Treatment of Alzheimer’s Continued

Lifestyle

Exercise

Diet

Omega-3

May prevent mental decline

Vitamin E

May delay the effects of Alzheimer’s

Ginkgo

Substances in this plant extract may benefit Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Stats

More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease.

Every 67 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.

There are approximately 500,000 people dying each year because they have Alzheimer's.

1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia.

In 2013, 15.5 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care valued at more than $220 billion (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014).

Lifestyle Policy to Suppress Alzheimer’s Disease

Physical exercise

Reduces your risk by 50% (Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation)

Healthy Diet

glial cells may help remove debris and toxins from the brain that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (Smith, Wayne, & Segal, 2014).

Ginger, green tea, fatty fish and blueberries are a few foods to feed glial cells

Mental Stimulation

Challenging your brain reduces your risk

“Use it or lose it”

Lifestyle Policies to Suppress Alzheimer’s Disease

Sleep

Greater risk of Alzheimer’s if you have sleep deprivation

Adults need at least 8 hours of sleep.

Manage stress

Stress also puts stress on the brain.

Breathe and relax to suppress stress.

Be social

Studies show that the more social the individual is, the better their (Smith, Wayne, & Segal, 2014).

Future of Alzheimer’s Disease

Currently five FDA approved Alzheimer’s drugs

Research includes working on drugs that alter the brain changes during Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer's Association, 2014).

Researchers are also working on prevention of amyloid plaques that affect memory. Vaccination

Inject beta amyloid

Inhibiting drugs

MTC and Al-108 Reduce the tangles in the brain during Alzheimer’s

Future of Alzheimer’s Disease

2013 Alzheimer’s Disease Plan includes

Finding ways to prevent Alzheimer’s by 2025

Informing the public

Enhance care for Alzheimer’s patients

Funding research projects for Alzheimer’s

References

Alzheimer's Association (2014). Alzheimer's disease & dementia | Alzheimer's

Association. Retrieved from http://

www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp Alzheimer's Association (2014). Alzheimer's drug treatment horizon | Research Center |

Alzheimer's Association. Retrieved from http://

www.alz.org/research/science/alzheimers_treatment_horizon.asp Mayo Clinic (2014). Alzheimer's disease Definition - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo

Clinic. Retrieved from http://

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/basics/definition/con-20023871

References

National Institute on Aging (2012). About alzheimer's disease: alzheimer's basics |

National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from

http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics National Institute on Aging (2013). HHS releases 2013 Alzheimer?s disease plan update |

National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from

http://www.nia.nih.gov/newsroom/2013/06/hhs-releases-2013-alzheimers-disease-plan-

update National Institute on Aging (2012). NIHSeniorHealth: Alzheimer's Disease - What Is

Alzheimer's Disease? Retrieved from

http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alzheimersdisease/whatisalzheimersdisease/01.html

References

Santrock, J. W. (2011). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Smith, M., Wayne, M., & Segal, J. (2014). Alzheimer’s & Dementia Prevention: How to Reduce Your Risk and Protect Your Brain. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm

Thompson, D. (2014). Alzheimer's Research, Future Treatments - Alzheimer's Disease Center - EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved from http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-research-and-future-treatments.aspx