[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/06\/what-is-alzheimers-disease\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/06\/what-is-alzheimers-disease\/","headline":"November Is National Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Awareness Month","name":"November Is National Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Awareness Month","description":"What is Alzheimer's Disease? How does it affect the brain? Read this blog post to find answers to your questions about Alzheimer's and dementia.","datePublished":"2015-06-24","dateModified":"2023-04-24","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/seniors-regions","name":"UPMC Senior Services","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/seniors-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/senior-services\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/man-in-wheelchair.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/man-in-wheelchair.jpg","height":527,"width":791},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/06\/what-is-alzheimers-disease\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU","name":"Inside the Brain: Unraveling the Mystery of Alzheimer's Disease [HQ]","description":"This 4-minute captioned video shows the intricate mechanisms involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease in the brain.\n\nhttp:\/\/www.nia.nih.gov\n\nPermission to use ADEAR materials is not required. When you use our materials in print, on the Web, or in a video or audio format, we simply request that you credit the \"Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging.\"\n\nThe human brain is a remarkable organ. Complex chemical and electrical processes take place within our brains that let us speak, move, see, remember, feel emotions and make decisions. Inside a normal healthy brain, billions of cells called neurons constantly communicate with one another.They receive messages from each other as electrical charges travel down the axon to the end of the neuron. The electrical charges release chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The transmitters move across microscopic gaps, or synapses, between neurons. They bind to receptor sites on the dendrites of the next neuron.This cellular circuitry enables communication within the brain. Healthy neurotransmission is important for the brain to function well. Alzheimer's disease disrupts this intricate interplay. By compromising the ability of neurons to communicate with one another, the disease over time destroys memory and thinking skills. Scientific research has revealed some of the brain changes that take place in Alzheimer's disease. Abnormal structures called beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are classic biological hallmarks of the disease. Plaques form when specific proteins in the neuron's cell membrane are processed differently. Normally, an enzyme called Alpha-secretase snips amyloid precursor protein, or APP, releasing a fragment. A second enzyme, Gamma-secretase, also snips APP in another place. These released fragments are thought to benefit neurons. In Alzheimer's disease, the first cut is made most often by another enzyme, Beta-secretase. That, combined with the cut made by Gamma-secretase, results in the release of short fragments of APP called Beta-Amyloid. When these fragments clump together, they become toxic and interfere with the function of neurons. As more fragments are added, these oligomers increase in size and become insoluable, eventually forming Beta-Amyloid plaques. Neurofibrillary tangles are made when a protein called tau is modified. In normal brain cells, tau stabilizes structures critical to the cell's internal transport system. Nutrients and other cellular cargo are carried up and down the structures called microtubules to all parts of the neuron. In Alzheimer's disease, abnormal tau separates from the microtubules, causing them to fall apart. Strands of this tau combine to form tangles inside the neuron, disabling the transport system and destroying the cell. Neurons in certain brain regions disconnect from each other and eventually die, causing memory loss. As these processes continue, the brain shrinks and loses function. We now know a great deal about changes that take place in the brain with Alzheimer's disease, but there is still much to learn. What other changes are taking place in the aging brain and its cells and what influence do other diseases, genetics, and lifestyle factors have on the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as the brain and body age? Scientific research is helping to unravel the mystery of Alzheimer's and related brain disorders As we learn more, researchers move ever closer to discovering ways to treat and ulimately prevent this devestating, fatal disease.","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NjgBnx1jVIU\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NjgBnx1jVIU\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NjgBnx1jVIU\/hqdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2010-07-29T13:42:14+00:00","duration":"PT4M22S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NjgBnx1jVIU","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCAHDhM4IFzqOszJC_Zo302w#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCAHDhM4IFzqOszJC_Zo302w","name":"Alzheimer Universal","description":"En Alzheimer Universal creamos m\u00fasica original como forma de expresi\u00f3n y concienciaci\u00f3n \ud83c\udfb5: Hacemos m\u00fasica para expresar lo que a veces con palabras no se entiende.\n\nTambi\u00e9n compartimos contenido para ayudar, informar y acompa\u00f1ar: v\u00eddeos \u00fatiles, historias reales, actualidad cient\u00edfica \ud83d\udd2c y reflexiones de profesionales.\n\nNuestro objetivo es sensibilizar y acercar la realidad del Alzheimer y otras demencias, apoyando a cuidadores, familiares y a quienes desean comprender mejor estas enfermedades.\n\nProyecto personal, sin \u00e1nimo de lucro, construido desde la experiencia y el compromiso. Un espacio com\u00fan para quienes cuidan, acompa\u00f1an y luchan cada d\u00eda por la dignidad de las personas con Alzheimer \ud83d\udc9c\n\nInteligencia Colectiva en la Lucha Contra el Alzheimer.\n\nSi alg\u00fan contenido no deber\u00eda estar publicado, puedes avisarnos y ser\u00e1 retirado lo antes posible.\nGracias por formar parte de esta comunidad \ud83d\ude4f\nSuscr\u00edbete y activa la campanita \ud83d\udd14\n\nDesde 2008","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/Fp-wOnEhp-zZmLvilBA4S7U509H_3mwAfrFqFv08rOkQUYDtMaESlU-y94fn-IxC50UdOXX72ZE=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":845798}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NjgBnx1jVIU#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":4957}]},"about":["Living and Wellness","Senior Health"],"wordCount":472,"keywords":["aging","Alzheimer's disease","brain","dementia","MRI"],"articleBody":"Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. It affects more than 5 million older adults in America.There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s. Prevention and treatment strategies are still in development and require further research.Alzheimer’s disease is the combination of dementia and abnormal structures found within the brain.The early stages of the disease impair someone’s ability to learn, remember, and plan tasks.People with late-stage Alzheimer’s have trouble with basic actions such as:WalkingDressingEatingAlzheimer’s dementia occurs due to the significant presence of two abnormal structures in the brain:Beta-amyloid plaqueNeurofibrillary tanglesWhat Are Plaque and Tangles in the Brain?Most people think of tangles as something you brush out of your hair in the morning. And, isn’t plaque what a dentist scrapes off your teeth? Unfortunately, tangles and plaque in the brain aren’t so easily remedied.For a complete overview of what happens to the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient, watch the video, “Inside the Brain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease.”If you look at a brain with Alzheimer’s disease using MRI, you will see sections of the brain that have atrophied, most notably in the mesial temporal lobe.The precise pathological process that leads to Alzheimer’s disease is unknown.One theory is that beta-amyloid plaque\u2014found outside of the cell\u2014and neurofibrillary tangles\u2014the clumping of deposits inside of the cell \u2013 cause a cascade of:Inflammation.Synaptic dysfunction and loss.Cell death.Researchers believe various glial cells in the brain surround amyloid plaques and neurons carrying neurofibrillary tangles, and the spreading of neurofibrillary tangles leads to Alzheimer’s dementia.Is Alzheimer’s Genetic?A complex interaction of risk factors is the cause of most Alzheimer’s cases.These risks include:Age.Family history.Environmental and lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, and smoking.About 1% of all cases are the result of particular genes. People with a genetic code for Alzheimer’s develop the disease early, in their 30s and 40s.How Do You Care For Alzheimer’s Disease?Alzheimer’s often complicates caregiving because it might be just one health issue among others. Your loved one with Alzheimer’s may also need care for three or four other health problems.Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh’s Division of Geriatric Medicine, designated a National Center of Excellence by the John Hartford Foundation, recognize the multi-layered response necessary for developing individualized treatment.The University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) is one of the nation’s leading research centers, specializing in diagnosing and researching Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders like dementia. The center is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).Editor's Note: This article was originally published on June 24, 2015, and was last reviewed on August 29, 2018."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2015","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"06","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/\/06\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"November Is National Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Awareness Month","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2015\/06\/what-is-alzheimers-disease\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]