May 2013 Issue

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Alzheimer disease

Alzeheimer disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, causes progressive memory loss, impaired intellect, loss of co-ordination and an inexorable decline in the ability to perform daily tasks. The cause of the condition is not known and there is no cure, but medicine can help alleviate symptom...

Amyloid plaque

This light micrograph of Alzheimer brain tissue, shows amalyoid plaque (rounded brown agglomerations), a characteristic brain change that signifies AD. Plaques can begin forming as many as 10 to 20 years before symptom onset.

Neurofibrillary tangle

Colored transmission electron micrograph of a neurofibrillary tangle in a nerve cell from the brain of a patient with Alzheimer disease. The tangle (green) lies in the cytoplasm (blue) of the cell and consists of abnormal aggregates of the protein tau. It is not known precisely how the tangles are f...

Brain tissue loss

As neurons slowly lose the ability to function and die, damage occurs to the hippocampus, an area of the brain important for memory. In late stages, the brain tissue shrinks significantly.

Testing and imaging

Currently, AD is usually only definitively diagnosed posthumously when the brain is studied during autopsy, but researchers are fine-tuning several imaging modalities and tests involving blood, urine and spinal flood for more widespread use in the office setting.

Cognitive therapy

Completing crossword puzzle can have beneficial therapeutic effects by stimulating the brain and delaying mental declines.

Alzheimer disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks, according to the National Institute on Aging. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. Learn more with this slideshow.