Alzheimer's Toxin May Be Key To Slowing Disease

Australian scientists say they have identified a toxin which plays a key role in the onset of Alzheimer's, raising hope that a drug targeting the toxin could be developed to slow the degenerative brain disease.

The toxin, called quinolinic acid, kills nerve cells in the brain, leading to dysfunction and death, the scientists said.

"Quinolinic acid may not be the cause of Alzheimer's disease, but it plays a key role in its progression," Alzheimer's researcher Dr Karen Cullen from the University of Sydney said in a statement. "It's the smoking gun, if you like."

"While we won't be able to prevent people from getting Alzheimer's disease, we may eventually, with the use of drugs, be able to slow down the progression."

Alzheimer's is a brain-destroying disease that affects millions of people around the world. As the population gets steadily older, experts estimate numbers will balloon to as many as 16 million in the United States alone by 2015.

More than 200,000 people have Alzheimer's disease in Australia and the number is expected to rise to 730,000 by 2050.

Outward symptoms start with memory loss, which progresses to complete helplessness as brain cells are destroyed. In the brain, neurons die as messy plaques and tangles of protein form.

The Alzheimer's research team from Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, the University of Sydney and Japan's Hokkaido University found quinolinic acid neurotoxicity in the brains of dementia patients.

Quinolinic acid is part of a biochemical pathway called the kynurenine pathway which is also found in other brain disorders, including Huntington's disease and schizophrenia.

The scientists said there were several drugs in an advanced stage of development for other conditions which targeted this pathway and that these drugs, which still need to be tested, could be used to complement other treatments for Alzheimer's.

What is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is probably one of the commonest causes of Dementia. It is a degenerative disease of the brain that effectively starts in the cerebral cortex. It is mostly characterised by the gradual and progressive decline in a person's mental abilities. It affects both sexes generally those who are over the age of 60, yet Alzheimer's has been known to occur in people as early as age 40.

The earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are simple forgetfulness. This is mostly disregarded especially if the person is elderly, as it is commonly put down to their age, but it steadily progresses to more severe symptoms such as trouble in performing easy or regular tasks such as fastening buttons or tying shoelaces.

There is a progressive deterioration in both the person's mental and bodily state and abilities additionally, also their recall. There is also a difference in the actions and personality of the person with Alzheimer's, with their ordinary actions becoming a thing of the past. For example someone who has always been gentle and kind may begin to use filthy words and make inappropriate sexual advances or become violent and begin striking and lashing out at people.

In the later stages of Alzheimer's, the person eventually becomes incapable of performing any task at all. They also become doubly incontinent, lose their power of speech, lose the ability to walk properly, suffer paralysis and lose their total memory.

If treatment is given early enough, it can slightly slow down the disease, but unfortunately it is incurable at the time of writing.

Once Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed, then the person should be given as much help and aid as feasible, especially in the early stages. Unfortunately many people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are conscious at first that something is wrong with them (although they may go into denial), and being aware you are "losing your mind" can be a truly shocking and frightening experience.

Their family ought, also to be given help to come to terms with the diagnosis as it can have a distressing effect on them especially if the person with Alzheimer's is younger and brings in part of the household income.

There are several support groups they can join who will help them to adjust and come to terms with the life altering disease that has befallen their loved one.

In the very later stages of Alzheimer's disease, the person gets so bad that many families have no choice but to place their relation in a nursing home so they can be cared for professionally. This can also be distressing for both them and the person who is ill.

The reason for Alzheimer's disease is not known, yet scientists and doctors have many thoughts about its origins. There have been many theories such as the deposition of aluminium in the brain, to fluoride in the water but nothing has been positively identified as the course of this horrible disease.

The Coming Alzheimer's Epidemic

Alzheimer's disease is a disease that strikes terror into many of us, especially as we get older.

Alzheimer's is a very serious brain disease that attacks the parts of the brain responsible for the creation of memory and for thinking.

As the disease progresses, more and more parts of the brain become affected. The patient loses the ability to live independently, and the sense of self and identity disappears. Eventually the patient dies.

Alzheimer's is not the only disease that causes dementia, but it is probably the best known to the general public.

When Alzheimer's strikes someone, we watch as the person afflicted slowly fades away in front of us, and eventually disappears to a place where they can't be reached.

We may personally know people, who have been afflicted by Alzheimer's disease. We may have visited a nursing home where many of the elderly residents sat staring blankly and unaware. We shuddered inwardly, thinking, "I hope that never happens to me."

Part of the reason we fear this disease so much is because it is so mysterious. We don't know what causes Alzheimer's. We don't know how to cure it. We don't even have a surefire test to diagnose Alzheimer's while the victim is still alive.

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease tends to get higher as the population ages. In the age group 65-75, approximately four per cent of the population may be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In the age group of 85 years or older, about 50% of the population has Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a growing problem all over the world because the population in most countries is growing older and older on average. In many countries, more and more people are surviving to the age where the incidence of the disease becomes more common.

At the present time, up to four million North Americans are believed to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. In twenty years, that number may go up to ten million. India has the some of the lowest rates of Alzheimer's in the world, but scientists don't know why the rate of the disease in India is so low.

Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who studied and described this disease in Germany in the early years of the twentieth century. Dr. Alzheimer was the first to discover and analyze the massive destruction of brain cells in a middle-aged woman who had been stricken with dementia and eventually died from it.

When Dr. Alzheimer studied this woman's brain after she died, he noticed that her brain was filled with microscopic plaques and tangles. These plaques and tangles had killed her brain cells.

The disease starts out with small lapses in the ability to make and retrieve short-term memories. With this comes a decline in the ability to reason and the ability to concentrate. The person affected may forget the names of familiar objects, or get lost in a familiar place. Personality changes may become apparent.

This decline in mental processing happens because of the destruction of brain cells that are needed to form and retrieve memories. At the same time, there is a progressive decline in the the brain's supply of neurotransmitters required to carry messages from one brain cell to another.

In the initial stages, it is very hard to differentiate Alzheimer's disease from other types of memory loss.

As the disease progresses, more and more brain cells die. Memory test scores may decline by 10 to 15% each year. Eventually, the patient will have difficulty performing the simplest actions required for daily living. The vocabulary dwindles to a few dozen words, then disappears altogether. Friends and family will not be recognized. The "self" fades away.

In the final stages, the patient will be completely unable to look after herself, unable to feed, walk or control the bladder and bowel. Death often occurs from pneumonia or infection.

Alzheimer's may strike people in their twenties, but is very rare in that age group. It becomes increasingly common with advanced aging. As women tend to live longer than men by several years, they are more likely to live long enough to be afflicted with Alzheimer's.

From the initial diagnosis to the time of death may be a period of seven to twenty years. The toll of the disease on the family and on society is very high.

Unless a cure is found soon, the costs of institutionalizing those millions who will fall victim to Alzheimer's in the coming decades will consume many billions of dollars.

The toll on the families of those afflicted is very high. For the person who is afflicted with this disease, the loss of memory, of thinking ability, of the personal sense of self is the greatest tragedy of all.

What is the cause of Alzheimer's disease? Is the cause genetic? Is it environmental? Is Alzheimer's caused by a virus? Does Alzheimer's have only one cause, or are there many contributing factors? Will a cure for Alzheimer's be discovered?

These are questions that scientists are racing to answer.

The Coming Alzheimer's Epidemic

Alzheimer's disease is a disease that strikes terror into many of us, especially as we get older.

Alzheimer's is a very serious brain disease that attacks the parts of the brain responsible for the creation of memory and for thinking.

As the disease progresses, more and more parts of the brain become affected. The patient loses the ability to live independently, and the sense of self and identity disappears. Eventually the patient dies.

Alzheimer's is not the only disease that causes dementia, but it is probably the best known to the general public.

When Alzheimer's strikes someone, we watch as the person afflicted slowly fades away in front of us, and eventually disappears to a place where they can't be reached.

We may personally know people, who have been afflicted by Alzheimer's disease. We may have visited a nursing home where many of the elderly residents sat staring blankly and unaware. We shuddered inwardly, thinking, "I hope that never happens to me."

Part of the reason we fear this disease so much is because it is so mysterious. We don't know what causes Alzheimer's. We don't know how to cure it. We don't even have a surefire test to diagnose Alzheimer's while the victim is still alive.

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease tends to get higher as the population ages. In the age group 65-75, approximately four per cent of the population may be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In the age group of 85 years or older, about 50% of the population has Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a growing problem all over the world because the population in most countries is growing older and older on average. In many countries, more and more people are surviving to the age where the incidence of the disease becomes more common.

At the present time, up to four million North Americans are believed to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. In twenty years, that number may go up to ten million. India has the some of the lowest rates of Alzheimer's in the world, but scientists don't know why the rate of the disease in India is so low.

Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who studied and described this disease in Germany in the early years of the twentieth century. Dr. Alzheimer was the first to discover and analyze the massive destruction of brain cells in a middle-aged woman who had been stricken with dementia and eventually died from it.

When Dr. Alzheimer studied this woman's brain after she died, he noticed that her brain was filled with microscopic plaques and tangles. These plaques and tangles had killed her brain cells.

The disease starts out with small lapses in the ability to make and retrieve short-term memories. With this comes a decline in the ability to reason and the ability to concentrate. The person affected may forget the names of familiar objects, or get lost in a familiar place. Personality changes may become apparent.

This decline in mental processing happens because of the destruction of brain cells that are needed to form and retrieve memories. At the same time, there is a progressive decline in the the brain's supply of neurotransmitters required to carry messages from one brain cell to another.

In the initial stages, it is very hard to differentiate Alzheimer's disease from other types of memory loss.

As the disease progresses, more and more brain cells die. Memory test scores may decline by 10 to 15% each year. Eventually, the patient will have difficulty performing the simplest actions required for daily living. The vocabulary dwindles to a few dozen words, then disappears altogether. Friends and family will not be recognized. The "self" fades away.

In the final stages, the patient will be completely unable to look after herself, unable to feed, walk or control the bladder and bowel. Death often occurs from pneumonia or infection.

Alzheimer's may strike people in their twenties, but is very rare in that age group. It becomes increasingly common with advanced aging. As women tend to live longer than men by several years, they are more likely to live long enough to be afflicted with Alzheimer's.

From the initial diagnosis to the time of death may be a period of seven to twenty years. The toll of the disease on the family and on society is very high.

Unless a cure is found soon, the costs of institutionalizing those millions who will fall victim to Alzheimer's in the coming decades will consume many billions of dollars.

The toll on the families of those afflicted is very high. For the person who is afflicted with this disease, the loss of memory, of thinking ability, of the personal sense of self is the greatest tragedy of all.

What is the cause of Alzheimer's disease? Is the cause genetic? Is it environmental? Is Alzheimer's caused by a virus? Does Alzheimer's have only one cause, or are there many contributing factors? Will a cure for Alzheimer's be discovered?

These are questions that scientists are racing to answer.

What Are The Stages Of Alzheimer's Disease?

An estimated 23,000 people die each year in the United States from Alzheimer's disease. It is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, making it the eighth leading cause of death among that age demographic. Alzheimer's cannot currently be cured, but understanding the seven stages of the disease can help researchers, care-giving family members and those afflicted.

Alzheimer's disease most often affects those over 65. It is extremely rare for the conditioner to occur earlier.

Alzheimer's affects the cortical tissues of the brain, causing them to atrophy. On autopsy tangled webs of brain tissue filaments (neurofibrillary tangles) and patches of degenerative nerve endings, called senile plaques are found. It is believed that these abnormalities cause a disruption of the electrical impulses in the brain.

It is a devastating disease, robbing the individual of their memories and ability to recognize their loved ones or care even to complete simple tasks for themselves, but there are treatments available to help slow the course of Alzheimer's disease and researchers are working hard to find a cure. Understanding the stages of the disease is the key to both.

There have been a number of attempts to describe the disease using a medical model but for caregivers and the rest of us it is easier to use the seven step functional stages to understand the changes brought on by the progression of the disease.

Stage 1 is described as a normally functioning adult without noticeable symptoms and no changes in memory.

Stage 2 is often mistaken as part of the normal aging process. The individual notices their declining memory issues and some functional loss as well. They may have trouble remembering the names of familiar people and places.

Stage 3 is defined as early Alzheimer's disease. There is progressive difficulty with involved tasks in demanding situations and often growing anxiety and denial. Memory and recall difficulties become apparent, concentration becomes effected and there is generally a loss of productivity.

Stage 4 or mild Alzheimer's, disease is characterized by a flattening of mood and continued denial of the disorder. Familiar faces, following directions to frequently visited places and orientation of persona and place are still intact, but assistance with complicated tasks becomes necessary.

Stage 5 Alzheimer's disease is considered moderate and the person in this stage can no longer get along in daily life without the assistance of others. They can remember major information about them selves and others but recall of newer information is difficult. An individual at stage 5 needs assistance picking proper attire and making most decisions.

Stage 6 is considered moderately severe and people begin to forget large amounts of information about themselves and others including the names of their spouses and children. They will need help with all the activities of daily living and disturbed sleep patterns becomes problematic and delusional or obsessive behavior, acute anxiety and violent behavior can arise.

Stage 7 is the last stage of the disease, and in severe Alzheimer's disease speech is reduced to only a few words and is mostly unintelligible. Individuals lose their ability to sit up or walk. They cannot smile and even lose their ability to hold up their heads. The brain seems unable to direct the movement of the body.

Alzheimer's disease isn't curable but there are treatments that can slow its progress and promising research that may one day lead to a cure. Understanding the stages of the disease and its progression can help those who are afflicted, their loved ones and researchers ensure the best treatment now and promote hope for the future.