by Andy Kahn
lzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in older individuals, is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease for which there is no definitive cure as of now. It destroys the neurons in parts of the brain, chiefly the hippocampus, which is a region involved in coding memories. Alzheimer's disease gives rise to an irreversible progressive loss of cognitive functions and of functional autonomy. The earliest signs of AD may be mistaken for simple forgetfulness, but in those who are eventually diagnosed with the disease, these initial signs inexorably progress to more severe symptoms of mental deterioration. While the time it takes for AD to develop will vary from person to person, advanced signs include severe memory impairment, confusion, language disturbances, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgement. Persons with AD may become non-communicative and hostile. As the disease ends its course in profound dementia, patients are unable to care for themselves and often require institutionalization or professional care in the home setting. While some patients may live for years after being diagnosed with AD, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is eight years.
Methods and compositions relating to Alzheimer's disease are done by analyzing the proteins that are differentially... more
Methods and compositions relating to Alzheimer's disease are done by analyzing the proteins that are differentially expressed in the brain in the Alzheimer's disease state. These are very much different from the proteins in normal brain.
Dementia is one of the major public health problems of the geriatric population. But off late it seems to affecting even those in their thirties. Increasing numbers of patients with dementia are imposing a major financial burden on health systems around the world. More than half of the patients with dementia have Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prevalence and incidence of AD have been shown to increase exponentially. The prevalence for AD in Europe is 0.5% for ages 60-69 years, 4.2% for ages 70-79 years, and 13.8% for ages 80-89 years. The survival time after the onset of AD is approximately from 3 to 10 years. Death occurs as the brain cells are starved of the energy and nutrients.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in older individuals, is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease for which there is no definitive cure as of now. It destroys the neurons in parts of the brain, chiefly the hippocampus, which is a region involved in coding memories. Alzheimer's disease gives rise to an irreversible progressive loss of cognitive functions and of functional autonomy. The earliest signs of AD may be mistaken for simple forgetfulness, but in those who are eventually diagnosed with the disease, these initial signs inexorably progress to more severe symptoms of mental deterioration. While the time it takes for AD to develop will vary from person to person, advanced signs include severe memory impairment, confusion, language disturbances, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgement. Persons with AD may become non-communicative and hostile. As the disease ends its course in profound dementia, patients are unable to care for themselves and often require institutionalization or professional care in the home setting. While some patients may live for years after being diagnosed with AD, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is eight years.
In the past, AD could only be definitively diagnosed by brain biopsy or upon autopsy after a patient died. These methods, which demonstrate the presence of the characteristic plaque and tangle lesions in the brain, are still considered the gold standard for the pathological diagnoses of AD. However, in the clinical setting brain biopsy is rarely performed and diagnosis depends on a battery of neurological, psychometric and biochemical tests, including the measurement of biochemical markers such as the ApoE and tau proteins or the beta-amyloid peptide in cerebrospinal fluid and blood.
Biomarkers may possibly possess the key in the next step for diagnosing AD and other dementia. A biological marker that fulfils the requirements for the diagnostic test for AD would have several advantages. An ideal biological marker would be one that identifies AD cases at a very early stage of the disease, before there is degeneration observed in the brain imaging and neuropathological tests. A biomarker could be the first indicator for starting treatment as early as possible, and also very valuable in screening the effectiveness of new therapies, particularly those that are focused on preventing the development of neuropathological changes. A biological marker would also be useful in the follow-up of the development of the disease.
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