Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Currently, 4.5 million individuals in the United States are estimated to have AD, and that number is projected to increase to at least 14 million by the year 2050. AD is a major cause of disability and mortality, and its impact on health care costs, including direct and indirect medical and social service costs, is estimated to be greater than $100 billion per year. AD typically presents with an insidious decline in memory that progresses to affect language, visuospatial perception, calculations, and executive functioning. Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms are also frequent in AD. Diagnosis is determined clinically, as there is currently no laboratory test to confirm AD in life. The neuropathologic hallmarks of AD are neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Currently available medical therapies have demonstrated modest benefits but likely do not alter disease progression. Caregivers play a large role in managing the patient and should be encouraged to seek out adult day care centers, home health services, respite care, and additional social support.

Clinical Neurophysiological and Automated EEG-Based Diagnosis of the Alzheimer's Disease

“…D -Serine levels in parietal cortex, hippocampus and CSF were higher in individuals with AD than the control group. Some of the neurochemical changes associated with AD are reduction in cholinergic activity, insufficiency in glutamate, serotonin, somatostatin, norepinephrine, and corticotrophin-releasing factors [34] .…”

Efeitos de um programa de atividade física nas funções cognitivas, equilíbrio e risco de quedas em idosos com demência de Alzheimer

“…AD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of extraneuronal amyloid plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles in regions of the temporal lobe that lead to progressive cognitive decline 2 . In the initial phase, the patient has short-term memory loss and, with the progression of the disease, semantic memory disorders, difficulty recalling names and communicating 3 , attention deficits, impairment of visual and spatial skills and executive functions 4 . During the natural aging process, there is a decline in the somatosensory (proprioceptive), visual and vestibular systems that control balance.…”

Los Predictores Motores De La Deficiencia De Las Funciones Ejecutivas en Ancianos Con La Enfermedad De Alzheimer

“…Como consecuencia de la muerte neuronal, los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) presentan, luego en la fase inicial de la enfermedad, una serie de alteraciones cognitivas, entre ellas la pérdida de la funciones ejecutivas (FE), que son responsables por la capacidad de planeamiento mental, organización, secuencia en las tareas y abstracción (Freitas, 2006;Nitrini et al, 2005;Yaari & Bloom, 2007).…”