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Hypertension & more ::
what causes alzheimers disease and who gets it
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What causes Alzheimer's disease and who gets it? Are you at risk?
However, intensive research has succeeded in unearthing some of the neurology behind this illness. And there are a few valuable clues available now. It was Alois Alzheimer who first pinpointed the strange tangles and plaques within the brain that are associated with this disease. In fact, till not very long ago, you could accurately diagnose Alzheimer's only through a post-mortem exam. Today we have a somewhat better understanding of why those plaques occur in the victim's brain. These neurofibrillary tangles are what cause most of the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Basically, an abnormal variety of something called Tau protein forms into microscopic filaments that end up clogging the neurons. Tau protein's function is to allow messages to pass from one neuron to another. It does this by forming microtubules in a normal brain. However, in the case of someone with Alzheimer's, Tau protein bonds with itself and thus does not allow passage of inter-neuron messages. This is one cause of Alzheimers. It is this inability of the neurons to transmit messages that is behind the impaired thinking and cognitive processes, characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. Although it is not yet proved, researchers theorize that beta amyloid protein causes the Tau protein malfunction. Apart from tangles, the other problem with an Alzheimer brain is plaque formation. Again, it is the beta amyloid protein that causes the plaques to form. Plaque deposits, which form a sticky patchwork in the brain, also block message transmission between neurons. This leads to symptoms like learning disabilities and memory loss that comes with Alzheimer's. A chemical called acetylcholine assists in sending these neuron messages. Plaques interferes with the functioning of this chemical. The greater the amount of plaque in the brain, the greater the extent of cognitive impairment the patient experiences. That is why a class of drugs called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors is used in combating Alzheimer's disease. There are enzymes that consume acetylcholine; this medication blocks those enzymes. These drugs are more effective if Alzheimer's is detected early enough before a lot of plaque has built up. Some scientists opine that plaque causes neurofibrillary tangles. There have been studies done on mice where researchers eliminated beta amyloid, which causes plaque. They found that this removed not only the plaque, but the tangles too. However, others believe that tangles as well as plaque are caused by other processes. They point to swollen axons as one possible cause. Nerve message transmission is made possible by axons. If the axons swell, these messages can't be sent. Swollen axons may lead to the tangles and plaques as well. While there is no clear answer to what causes Alzheimers disease and who gets it, a lot of research is being done in this area. Perhaps the coming years may see a better understanding of the disease and maybe a complete cure.
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