ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
By Veronica Marin Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that destroys memory and the ability to think, and eventually the ability to complete simple tasks that we do in everyday life. Symptoms of this disease may appear after the age of 60. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and the end result is death. The scientists don’t know how the disease process begins but seems like the damage of the brain begins 10 years before symptoms start to show. Unusual deposits of proteins form amyloid plaques, (abnormal clusters of protein fragments), and tau tangles, (twisted fibers), throughout the brain, which causes the neurons to work less than they are supposed to and eventually they die. Before you know it the damage has already spread to a nearby structure in the brain called the hippocampus, which is essential in forming long-term memories and spatial navigation. As more neurons die, affected brain regions begin to shrink leading to the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
only weights an average three pounds (13001400g), it consists of gray (40%) and white (60%) matter, has three main parts (cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla) and is about the consistence of jelly. Main parts: 1. The cerebrum. - It takes up most of the cranium (skull). It is where remembering, problem solving, thinking, and feeling take place. It also controls the body’s movements. 2. The cerebellum. - It is located under the cerebrum, controls coordination and balance. 3. The brain stem. – It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure. It’s found under the cerebrum. SUPPLY LINES The brain stays functioning do to the networks of blood vessels. The supply lines include veins, capillaries, and arteries. Each heartbeat pumps 20 to 25 percent of blood to the brain, by the arteries. THE CORTEX – “THINKING WRINKLES”
THE BRAIN The brain is the most powerful organ, in encased within the skull and even though it
The brain’s wrinkled surface is called the cortex. Different regions of the cortex have their own function: The upper left side interprets sensations,