My Simple Theory on Alzheimer's...
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Comparisons between Alzheimer's brain and normal brain
- Your brain: Mostly fat and salt water...mmm tasty!!!
An oversimplification of a complex subject...and a recipe for brain soup!
What happens when a perfectly good brain goes bad?
Well, as you probably know, my background is in psychology. So, I think about this kind of stuff. Unfortunately, when you learn about something new, you become hypervigilant to all things related to that and you may even personalize the characteristics of your newfound wisdom...
I have done that with Alzheimer's. I get paranoid about forgetting things. But I've been told that the only way you can know for sure if a person has Alzheimer's (without a doubt...as opposed to having some other sickness) is by looking at their brain after they're dead.
Now, I've given up on my dream of assisting in any research that is currently going on, and I don't have my own personal laboratory, but that's doesn't stop me from wondering and it's not going to stop me from sharing my thoughts. Might as well...it might help someone. I dunno.
Alzheimer's Disease is a form of degenerative brain disease resulting in progressive mental deterioration with disorientation, memory disturbance and confusion. It is commonly associated with old people (age 75+). It is physically characterized by "neurofibrilary plaques" in the brain (first observed by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906) and deterioration of brain tissue which are usually observed post-mortem.
Scientists are not exactly sure of the cause of this disease, but I would like to take a guess...
We know that our brains are constantly processing new information every second of every day. Most of the time we utilize this information as it comes to us, either retention, rehersal or retrieval. This is an expenditure of energy by our brains. Some of this energy (which produces work done by the neurons) is replenished when neurons grow, and some is lost when neurons die as a result of the work. Some of this work is used in building (reinforcing connections in the brain that already exist) and some of it is used in destroying weak, old and obstructive neurons.
As we get older, I believe that our brain is constantly changing to suit our adaptative needs. Different people have different strengths and weaknesses which correspond with their brain activity and which (I believe are measureable somehow) I believe that in some people, the changes that occur as they age are beneficial to them, but in some people, changes occur that end up being harmful to them.
- Think of it as the difference between someone who was taught, while growing up, that 1 +1 = 2 versus someone that was taught growing up that 1 + 1 = 11. If the person that was taught that 1 + 1 = 11 is placed in an environment full of people that are operating based on the idea that 1 + 1 = 2...he's gonna have some problems. I think that a compilation of various cognitive disturbances to this effect, pile up and manifest themselves as a weak network of neurons in the brain and a future Alzheimer's victim. The clusters of neurons which are strongly bonded together absorb all the resources from the weakly bonded ones leaving gaps that make it difficult for neurons to communicate with one another in the way that a healthy brain does. This leads to the confusion that is often observed in the Alzheimer's victim. Memory lapses can also be explained by this.
I think this is the reason scientists say a good diet, exercise and a nurturing environment are good ways to combat Alzheimer's disease. The thing about crossword puzzles...I don't think in essence that they are saying that we need to all do crossword puzzles and play chess all the time. When they say we should "exercise our brains", I believe what they mean is simply to engage in activities that produce a strenghtening of network connections in the brain. Crossword puzzles, I believe, would be a good "rehearsal" for people who already do a lot of reading (which is common in our society).
I think that having good, heart-felt conversations with your family and friends would be just as good means of combating Alzheimer's disease.
Smoking and drinking are discouraged as means of preventing Alzheimer's disease, but they are discouraged in general by people who try to get you to avoid activities that "poison" your body.
I'm paranoid about developing Alzheimer's disease.
Despite all our scientific and technological advancement, there is still A LOT that scientists don't yet know.
the end.
A Powerpoint presentation I did on Alzheimer's Disease for a School Assignment
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Comments
Yea...there are cases of early-onset Alzheimer's. That's categorized as occuring in the early 60's. Seems to be what your family member is dealing with.
Alzheimer is striking on my mother's side. So I like to keep educated on the subject. I practice as much as I can remember to, to keep keep bringing those racing thoughts back to the present and be mindful of what's at hand. This seems to me to be a safe place. Thanks for the article.
Dutch, I have heard there is a connection between alzheimer's and autism, and that kind of makes sense because they both involve nuerotransmitters. I have an interest in this because my husband's grandfather has alzheimers, and my son has a form of autism called asperger's syndrome. Do you have any knowledge about the connection between alzheimers and autism? Julie
There are reports of connections between ADHD and autism. There are also reports of connections between schizophrenia and alzheimer's.
These diagnoses are just lables to cover common characteristics observed, but all mental illnesses (just like most things in life) exist on a spectrum.
I'm assuming that mental illness and Alzheimer's are all linked in their association to the brain and abnormal neural processes.
You should check out this video about a girl with autism: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/education/2008/02/28/sn.0229.cnn?iref=videosearch
If you sat in a chair every day, never once got up and walked around, soon you would not be able even if you wanted to. If you isolated yourself in a sterile environment for a while and then stepped out into the world, the first innocuous germ you encountered would probably kill you.
In the first instance, your muscles would atrophy. In the second instance, your immune system would do likewise.
Use it or lose it as they say.
What might atrophy if you lived in a society where independent thought was actively discouraged and suppressed by the educational system as well as by general social intercourse? What would become of your brain if the job you performed for at least forty hours every week were mindless, repetitious drudgery requiring little or no cognitive effort?
Combine this with an increasingly poisonous environment, ever-higher levels of stress from a dysfunctional society, appallingly poor nutrition in spite of excessive over-eating and the simple long-term debilitating effect of time.
Apart from the autonomic system, which requires a relatively small amount of its functional capacity, the brain is free to engage in the process of cognition. Insufficient exercise of this ability will result in its loss.
I think our consumerist society, overly dependent on technology that assumes many small cognitive tasks we once used our brains for, is a major contributor to this ailment.
Nutrition and exercise seems to be a recurring theme in all health including the brain.
The only ingredients our bodies have to grow, live and repair itself with are the ingredients we give it. If we provide the quality supplies, our bodies are capable of remarkable feats.
Your PowerPoint is very good. The list of famous people which suffered through this in their later years brings home the fear you speak of for yourself.
All of those people grew up about the same time as synthetic chemicals were starting to be produced and used in almost everything. The coincidence is getting a little too strong for it to be ignored. They don't always harm and kill quickly, sometimes they take their time. Up to 70years.
Everyone make sure to get your MINIMUM 5 to 9 servings of live raw fruits, vegetables and other whole foods.
Thank you for another informative post.
I have seen the effects of this disease first hand when I was working as a nurses aid in a retirment home. It is a horrid existance that I would not want to live with.
Alzheimer's is practically unknown in Japan, which has been attributed to the fact that their diet is high in vitamin B12 (via fish and fish oils). Not being a scientist or an M.D., I can't say whether this is true or not. But I do know that years before I heard of it as a deterant to Alzheimer's, I began taking a B12 supplement because it just made me feel "better". More alert and less sensitive to the little bumps in the road of life. If for some reason I don't take it a for a few days, I get moody, sluggish, and depressed.
Alas, there's Alzheimer's on both sides of my family. A cousin nearing 70 is the latest victim, as was her mother before her (only my aunt by marriage). Neither are/were particularly inquisitive or hot to learn new things, so I believe as ColdWarBaby does that doing the same things day in and day out is a huge contributor.
Same for my mother's sister. Did everything by the clock. Very sad for her daughter because the onset of Alzheimer's was practically overnight. I suspect my mother also had it, but hard to tell since she was a long-time prescription medicine junkie and died at 75, which is quite young for that side of the family. (Their mother, my grandmother died at 103, and her mother at 97, both mentally sharp as a tack until the end.)
I'd like to see a study on repressed anger as a contributing factor to Alheimer's rather than a cause. Similar to how stress and exhaustion diminish the body's ability to fight off other diseases. Just a thought. Great hub!
Thank you for this hub on a condition that is of concern to many, myself included. My father had it, so, naturally, it is a concern of his children as they age and find themselves ever more forgetful. He always believed it possible that all the power lines and their emissions could be responsible. He was a highly intelligent man who faced the loss of his mental capabilities with much courage...more than I'm afraid this daughter would do in his situation. I've heard so many stories about the victims of this disease and their caring relatives, who are also victims in dealing with the decline of someone that they love. Your theories are certainly credible and your knowledge is impressive.
hi i wana know if i want some thing 2 bring and then i forget at the place where i am is tht the symptoms of alzimers
You won't know until you're dead and they look at your brain in autopsy. Even if it is early signs of Alzheimer's, you have nothing to worry about for now. The most devastating stage of this disease is when you lose control of your regulatory systems (i.e. loss of bowel function, loss of motor function, loss of speech, etc.)
dutch84 ...this is a great article. I have to say again and again ...we in America have a large choice of food and the best fed, but the most undernurished society. It is a crime to humanity when we are fed so many chemicals. Our body is not screaming for chemicals ...it is screaming for food. Our farmers are being surpressed and our food played with for someone's personal gain ...and it is not for you or me.
Thank you for leading to the articles in this hub. They are enlightening ...we need all the information we can gather ...and hopefully we are able to think by then and able to make the choices. With the "dumming down of our brains" today with chemicals ...is it any wonder we are not able to think properly?
My best to you and your health!!
I'm with you Dutch. I'm paranoid about Alzheimer's, but not that I'll get it. I'm far more frightened of my spouse getting it!! Fortunately we're both still young.
I believe in the activity trinity as a deterrent: physically active, socially active, intellectually active.
i am 15 years old i forgot my number and half of the people i met in my life is this a symptom of alzheimers? please answer
That doesn't sound like Alzheimer's. That sounds more like amnesia..
My grandfather had ALzheimers and Lou Gehrig's disease when he passed. It was sad, I would visit him and he had no idea who I was. Take care of your brain with lot's of brain exercises. What a great hub. Thanks.
adrienne2 says:
18 months ago
Its true people associate old people with alzheimer, but that's not the reality of it. The family member I know who suffer with it is only in her early 60's (my aunt). There has also been a medical research study on families who had a parent with the disease, and each generation suffered from the disease at younger ages.