Alzheimers Essay, Research Paper

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive and irreversible

brain disease that destroys mental and physical functioning

in human beings, and invariably leads to death. It is the

fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States.

Alzheimer’s creates emotional and financial catastrophe for

many American families every year. Fortunately, a large

amount of progress is being made to combat Alzheimer’s

disease every year.

To fully be able to comprehend and combat Alzheimer’s

disease, one must know what it does to the brain, the part

of the human body it most greatly affects. Many Alzheimer’s

disease sufferers had their brains examined. A large number

of differences were present when comparing the normal brain

to the Alzheimer’s brain. There was a loss of nerve cells

from the Cerebral Cortex in the Alzheimer’s victim.

Approximately ten percent of the neurons in this region were

lost. But a ten percent loss is relatively minor, and

cannot account for the severe impairment suffered by

Alzheimer’s victims.

Neurofibrillary Tangles are also found in the brains of

Alzheimer’s victims. They are found within the cell bodies

of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, and take on th