Åñgìê^š WØñÐë®fú£ þågé

About Me:

* My favorite thing about college--  having more freedom than I know what to do with.

* My favorite food--  Taco Salad

* My favorite band/artist-- Nelly

* What I am most proud of-- the fact that I am here, in college, working towards a better life.

* What I would like my life to be like in ten years-- I hope to have a good job and be married and maybe have kids.

* My favorite quotation-- Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first, and the lesson afterward!

* This is my dog Nike *

A Neuroscience topic that interests me:

Alzheimer’s Disease

Imagine going to visit an elderly loved one that you have known your whole life.  You know pretty much everything about them, but you begin to notice that they are simply forgetting everyday things. As time goes on, they begin to ask you the same questions over and over, they are telling the same stories word for word, they neglect to bathe and change their clothes, and they are slowly forgetting how to do simple every day tasks that came so naturally to them in the past. It is a devastating experience to know someone that has no idea who you are anymore.

These are just a few signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most widespread form of dementia in elderly adults.  Age is the most important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease; the number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.   It is a form of neurdegeneration characterized by abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers composed of misplaced proteins.  It involves the part of the brain that is responsible for thought, language and most importantly, memory.  As Alzheimer’s stands today, there is no cure.

Alzheimer’s causes loss of nerve cells in the brain area that is responsible for memory and other mental capabilities.  The chemicals that are responsible for carrying complex messages to and from nerve endings have shown significant decreases.  Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease may disrupt normal thinking processes by blocking the messages between nerve cells. 

Alzheimer’s disease has a rather slow onset.  It may begin with mild forgetfulness, but as it progresses, the symptoms become more noticeable.  For example, people with Alzheimer’s may forget to carry out simple everyday tasks such as brush their teeth and combing their hair.  They are no longer to think clearly.  As the disease continues to progress, they may have problems speaking, reading or writing.  Most patients with Alzheimer’s end up needing total medical care. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a very progressive disease.  Its course can range from a period of five to twenty years.  Most people with Alzheimer’s disease don’t die from the disease itself, but by a secondary illness such as pneumonia or another infection. 

Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed by a variety of different tests.  One test is a neuropsychological test.  This test measures memory, attention span, problem solving abilities, and language skills.  Brain scans are also common tests performed on possible Alzheimer’s patients.  Brain scans allow the doctors to view pictures to look for anything that may seem abnormal.  Other more common medical tests such as urine tests and blood tests are also performed to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms presented in a particular patient.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no known way to slow down the progression.  Some people in the early stages of the diseases may be given certain drugs to help relieve some of the symptoms as well as keep some of the symptoms from becoming worse for a period of time.  Medication is also given to some patients to help manage some of their behavioral symptoms such as insomnia, wandering, anxiety and depression.  Hopefully one day, we will be able to halt this terrible disease that haunts many of the elders in our country.