AHSS 1110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Encephalitis, Language Disorder, Semantic Memory
Document Summary
Alzheimer"s disease: associated with a gradually progressive loss of memory, often occurring in old. Affects 50 percent of people over 85 and 5 percent of people 65-74. Early onset seems to be influenced by genes: 99 percent of cases are late onset. About half of all patients with late onset have no known relative with the disease: no drug is currently effective. Alzheimer"s disease is associated with an accumulation and clumping of the following brain proteins: amyloid beta protein. Produces widespread atrophy of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and other areas: an abnormal form of the tau protein. Part of the intracellular support system of neurons. Accumulation of the amyloid beta and tau proteins results in: Plaques: structures formed from damaged axons and dendrites. Tangles: structures formed from degeneration within neurons. Amnesia what patients with amnesia teach us. What patients with amnesia teach us: people do not lose all aspects of memory equally.