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Alzheimer'due south is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe plenty to interfere with daily tasks.

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Understanding Alzheimer's and dementia
Plaques and tangles
Symptoms
Research
Changes in the brain

Understanding Alzheimer'due south and dementia

Alzheimer'south is the virtually mutual cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for lx-80% of dementia cases.

Larn more than: What is the Deviation Between Dementia and Alzheimer's?, What is Dementia, Research and Progress

Alzheimer's is not a normal role of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. Alzheimer's disease is considered to be younger-onset Alzheimer'due south if it affects a person under 65. Younger-onset can also be referred to every bit early-onset Alzheimer's. People with younger-onset Alzheimer'south can be in the early, eye or late phase of the illness.

Acquire more: Younger/Early on-Onset Alzheimer'southward, Risk Factors

Alzheimer's worsens over fourth dimension. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is balmy, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to comport on a conversation and answer to their surroundings. On average, a person with Alzheimer'southward lives iv to 8 years after diagnosis only tin live every bit long as twenty years, depending on other factors.

Learn more than: 10 Warning Signs, Stages of Alzheimer'due south Disease

Alzheimer's as a Continuum

Alzheimer's disease progresses in stages, with the severity of symptoms increasing over time.

Select a stage to larn more than.

An asymptomatic individual may have biological changes of Alzheimer's in their brain only no cognitive symptoms. Hallmarks of Alzheimer's, such as amyloid buildup, may be nowadays upwards to 20 years before someone exhibits changes in retentivity, thinking or behavior.

MCI is an early phase of memory loss or other loss of cognitive ability in an private who maintains the power to independently perform almost activities of daily living. Some people living with MCI may develop dementia, but others will not. MCI can be an early stage of Alzheimer'southward if hallmark brain changes are nowadays. Learn more than nigh MCI.

If those changes are present, the person may progress into dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, which can be divided into three stages — mild, moderate and severe — representing a progressive loss of independence. Learn more about the stages.

A person living with mild dementia due to Alzheimer'south disease volition typically beginning to experience symptoms that interfere with some daily activities.

Symptoms are more pronounced for someone living with moderate dementia due to Alzheimer'south disease and will interfere with many of their daily activities.

An individual living with severe dementia due to Alzheimer'southward disease volition feel symptoms that interfere with nearly everyday activities.

Alzheimer'southward has no cure, just i treatment — aducanumab (Aduhelm™) — is the get-go therapy to demonstrate that removing amyloid, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer'southward disease, from the brain is reasonably likely to reduce cognitive and functional decline in people living with early Alzheimer's. Other treatments can temporarily tiresome the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer'due south and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort underway to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from developing.

Learn more than: Treatments, Treatment Horizon, Prevention, Clinical Trials

Symptoms of Alzheimer'southward

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer'due south is difficulty remembering newly learned data.

Merely like the residue of our bodies, our brains alter equally nosotros age. Most of us eventually detect some slowed thinking and occasional problems with remembering sure things. However, serious memory loss, defoliation and other major changes in the style our minds work may be a sign that encephalon cells are failing.

Alzheimer's changes typically brainstorm in the part of the brain that affects learning. Equally Alzheimer'due south advances through the brain it leads to increasingly severe symptoms, including disorientation, mood and behavior changes; deepening confusion about events, fourth dimension and place; unfounded suspicions about family unit, friends and professional person caregivers; more serious retentivity loss and behavior changes; and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.

People with retentiveness loss or other possible signs of Alzheimer'south may find it hard to recognize they have a trouble. Signs of dementia may be more than obvious to family members or friends. Anyone experiencing dementia-like symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible. If you lot need assistance finding a dr. with feel evaluating memory problems, your local Alzheimer'due south Association tin help. Before diagnosis and intervention methods are improving dramatically, and handling options and sources of support can improve quality of life. Ii helpful support resource you can tap into are ALZConnected, our message boards and online social networking community, and Alzheimer'southward Navigator, a spider web tool that creates customized action plans, based on answers you provide through curt, online surveys.

Take our free, online education courses: Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia and Know the 10 Signs: Early on Detection Matters

Help is available

If you or someone yous know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia, you are not lone. The Alzheimer's Association is the trusted resource for reliable information, education, referral and back up to millions of people afflicted by the disease.

Call our 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900
Locate your local Alzheimer'south Association
Use our Virtual Library
Become to Alzheimer'south Navigator to create customized activeness plans and connect with local support services

Alzheimer'south is non the just cause of memory loss

Many people take trouble with memory — this does Not mean they take Alzheimer'south. There are many different causes of retentiveness loss. If yous or someone you lot know is experiencing symptoms of dementia, it is best to visit a doctor so the cause tin be determined.

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Alzheimer'south and the encephalon

Microscopic changes in the brain brainstorm long before the first signs of retention loss.

The brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Each nerve cell connects with many others to form communication networks. Groups of nerve cells have special jobs. Some are involved in thinking, learning and remembering. Others aid united states of america see, hear and smell.

To do their work, brain cells operate like tiny factories. They receive supplies, generate free energy, construct equipment and go rid of waste. Cells also procedure and store information and communicate with other cells. Keeping everything running requires coordination as well equally large amounts of fuel and oxygen.

Scientists believe Alzheimer'south disease prevents parts of a prison cell'south mill from running well. They are non sure where the trouble starts. But just like a real factory, backups and breakdowns in one system crusade problems in other areas. As damage spreads, cells lose their ability to do their jobs and, somewhen dice, causing irreversible changes in the brain.

The role of plaques and tangles

Ii abnormal structures called plaques and tangles are prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells.

Plaques are deposits of a poly peptide fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) that build upward in the spaces between nerve cells.
Tangles are twisted fibers of some other protein chosen tau (rhymes with "wow") that build up within cells.

Though dissection studies show that nearly people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer'southward tend to develop far more and in a predictable pattern, kickoff in the areas important for memory before spreading to other regions.

Scientists do not know exactly what office plaques and tangles play in Alzheimer'due south disease. About experts believe they somehow play a disquisitional role in blocking communication amid nerve cells and disrupting processes that cells need to survive.

It'south the destruction and death of nerve cells that causes memory failure, personality changes, bug carrying out daily activities and other symptoms of Alzheimer'south disease.

Acquire More: Take the Brain Tour

Enquiry and progress

In 1906, German medico Dr. Alois Alzheimer commencement described "a peculiar disease" — 1 of profound memory loss and microscopic brain changes — a disease we now know equally Alzheimer's.

Today, Alzheimer'due south is at the forefront of biomedical enquiry. Researchers are working to uncover equally many aspects of Alzheimer's illness and other dementias as possible. Some of the most remarkable progress has shed light on how Alzheimer'south affects the brain. The promise is this better understanding volition lead to new treatments. Many potential approaches are currently under investigation worldwide. Sign up for our weekly Due east-News to receive updates about Alzheimer'south and dementia intendance and research.

Learn more: Research and Progress