First published March 6, 2020
Group Members:
Dawson Burger
Miriam Brukhis
Nicholas Della-Giustina
Jordan Johnson
Exploring a neurological disease – Alzheimer’s
- Disease is clearly identified
- Symptoms of the disease clearly identified (the key symptoms are fine, not necessarily all symptoms are necessary here)
- What is the cause of the disease? What data/evidence supports that we actually know the cause? What region of the brain is affected by this disease?
- What is the treatment? behavioral treatments? Pharmacological treatments (drugs)?
- What research has been done on this disease? Cite at least 3-4 sources and describe 3-4 data/evidence/experiments (each person does one).
Data Collection Categories
- Alzheimer’s as a Disease Clearly Identified
- https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm (some useful stats)
- What are the key symptoms?
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alzheimers-disease/causes/
- https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs
- https://www.caring.com/caregivers/alzheimers/
- Increased memory loss and confusion
- Inability to learn new things
- Difficulty with language and problems reading, writing, and working with numbers
- Shortened attention span
- Problems coping with new situations
- Trouble with abstract thinking
- What is the cause of the disease? What data/evidence supports that we actually know the cause?
- Perry, George. Alzheimer’s Disease : a Century of Scientific and Clinical Research. IOS Press, 2006. (The history of Alzheimer’s)
- NHS.UK discusses how Amyloid form plaque around brain cells and then Tau proteins form tangles within those brain cells which kills them. Basically, the brain cells become covered up in plaque then attacked from the inside out. As brain cells are affected, there is also a decrease in neurotransmitters, specifically Acetylcholine which is responsible for basic bodily regulations.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447 (an informative article with a section on believed causes…looks like a combination of lifestyle, genetics and environment and researchers focus on the role of two proteins, Plaques and Tangles.
- What region of the brain is affected?
- https://go-gale-com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/ps/i.do?p=PPES&u=wash_main&id=GALE|A572728090&v=2.1&it=r (a very scientific breakdown of the mechanics of Alzheimer’s)
- Costandi, Moheb. “Ways to Stop the Spread of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Nature, vol. 559, no. 7715, 2018, pp. S16–S17.
- What is the treatment? Behavioral treatments? Pharmacological treatments?
- Dietary
- Pharmacological treatments?
- Behavioral
- What research has been done? Cite at least 3-4 sources and describe 3-4 data/evidence/experiments (each person does one.
- “Recently, the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association has considered that amyloid (A) and tau (T) biomarkers indicate specific neuropathologic changes of Alzhimer disease, and proposed a new biological definition: individuals with biomarker profile “Amyloid as well as Tau” would be defined as Alzhimer’s patients” – This basically means that there are different biomarkers in all patients but those with Alzhimers have the specific ‘biomarkers’ called ‘amyloid’ and ‘tau’. An example of a biomarker is anything inside our body that could give insight to what’s happening. For example, blood cholesterol is a well known biomarker for coronary heart disease.
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00350/full
- https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=97872
- Dazed and Confused: Medical Cannabis in Alzheimer’s Disease
CLOSING
SCRIPTS:
5 Slides
Slide 1: Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease can be generalized under four categories: Behavioral, Lifestyle Choices, Pharmacological, and Experimental.
Slide 2: Behavioral treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease often include but are not limited to Cognitive Training which helps Alzheimer’s patients with memory routines as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapies that are often used to alleviate depression and anxiety for patients with Alzheimer’s Dementia. Image Source: https://www.bitbrain.com/blog/cognitive-stimulation-activities-for-elderly-seniors-adults
Slide 3: Lifestyle Choices that can be considered therapeutic for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease include but are not limited to regular, light exercise routines such as daily walks, regular intellectual stimulation and dietary choices that include whole grains, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, berries, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts. Avoiding foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fats as well as excess iron, copper and aluminum can also help a patient control the symptoms of the disease.
Slide 4: Pharmacological treatments that can be prescribed include cholinesterase inhibitors such as those found in the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine and Galantamine. The role of cholinesterase is to break down a neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine. Acetylcholine causes muscles to contract, activates pain responses and regulates endocrine and REM sleep functions thus the role of a cholinesterase inhibitor is to block cholinesterase from deteriorating acetylcholine neurotransmitters.
Slide 5: There are many experimental treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease currently being researched. One such treatment is medical cannabis and the research remains positive as far as the therapeutic aspects of the plant are concerned. According to a research study published in the November, 2016 issue of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, “…neurobiological effects of cannabinoids might be beneficial to the treatment of dementia.” Cannabinoids are neurotransmitters derived from compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant, namely cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that act at two specific cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2.
Leave a Reply