Alzheimer’s disease is a slowly progressive neurological disorder of the brain leading to the irreversible loss of neurons and the loss of intellectual abilities, & is characterized by impairment of memory and reasoning, planning, language, and perception.Alzheimer’s disease is also known as Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT).Amyloid Plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the hallmarks of Alzheimers disease. Neurofibrillary tangles are consist of tau proteins which forms microtubule. The microtubules helps in the transport nutrients & other essential materials. In Alzheimer’s threads of tau protein twist into abnormal tangles which implicate in declination of brain cells. Some people’s have normal thinking & memory even in later life, yet their brains are packed up with B-amyloid plaques which appears to be identical with the Alzheimer’s patient, and so we didn’t understand the exact specific reason that causes dementia.
Recent research suggested that B-amyloid protein cause Alzheimers but not necessarily in the form of plaques. Rather, small & number of molecules of “Oligomers of B amyloid dissolved in Cerebro Spinal Fluid ” that cause the disorder. Alzheimer’s patients and cognitively normal patient have same amount of amyloid plaque but have much higher oligomer levels in Alzheimers. It is found out that dementia patient have more oligomers per plaque while fewer oligomers per plaque in cognitively normal people. The Amyloid peptides damage the neuronal membrane which leads to uncontrolled movement of calcium ions and cause the problem.
It has been seen that in cognitive normal patient plaques binds tightly with oligomers and serves as buffer while in Alzheimers plaques bind with more number of oligomers and leave them to float in Cerebro Spinal Fluid where they can damage neurons responsible for memory.
Recent studies shows that Alzheimers features may be associated with Diabetes. The chronic peripheral inflammation and non-enzymatic glycation are associated with Diabetes which may affect the brain that results into alteration of astrocyte function which further leads to Alzheimers like changes.
Astrocytes maintain the nerve cells which provides nutrition, and biochemical support, to the blood-brain barrier and the neurons. Beta Amyloid build up at sites where the astrocytes interact with blood vessels causing impairement in the transfer of nutrients.
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