Nov 5, 2009

Alzheimer's disease


The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. It controls functions that affect all aspects of our daily lives – activities like speaking, moving, making decisions, and having emotional responses. The brain also controls functions we're not conscious of – such as digestion, breathing, and circulation.

When a person is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, abnormal changes are taking place in the brain. The cause of Alzheimer's disease begins with nerve cells, responsible for learning and memory functions, which begin to become damaged and eventually die. As a result, certain aspects of brain functioning that control memory, behavior, personality, and other bodily functions, can be lost.

In people with Alzheimer's disease, changes in the brain may begin 10 to 20 years before any visible signs or symptoms appear. Some regions of the brain may begin to shrink, resulting in memory loss, the first visible sign of Alzheimer's disease.

Over time, Alzheimer's disease progresses through three main stages: mild, moderate, and severe. Because it is not easy to look inside a living brain to see the damage Alzheimer's disease causes, these stages are characterized by a collection of signs and symptoms and behaviors the people with Alzheimer's disease experience.

http://www.namenda.com/sections/about-alzheimers-disease/symptoms-and-stages.aspx


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