Alzheimer's Disease

Question 1

How many people will Alzheimer’s affect?

Answer 1

Alzheimer’s will affect one in twenty people, though risk of development increases with age

Question 2

When does Alzheimer’s typically occur?

Answer 2

Alzheimer’s typically occurs after 65 years of age, but can occur as early as 40

Question 3

By what symptoms is Alzheimer’s characterised?

Answer 3

Alzheimer’s is characterised by memory loss, concentration loss, confusion, and changes in mood that progressively become worse. General cognitive functioning is lost in the normal ageing process, but Alzheimer’s appears to selectively impair certain cognitive systems rather than deteriorating cognition globally, in particularly the memory system for new events, while older information is preserved

Alzheimer’s also affects working memory; central executive functioning becomes impaired, making complex tasks more difficult to coordinate, and visuospatial processing becomes impaired. A major characteristic of the disease is the inability to recall autobiographical information from episodic memory, thus affecting both long- and short-term recall.

Question 4

With what is the extent of memory loss associated?

Answer 4

The extent of memory loss is associated with the depletion of brain matter, particularly in the hippocampus and temporal cortex. The greater the brain damage, the more significant the impairment; typically, this increases with the progression of the disease

Question 5

+ Baddeley (2001)

Answer 5

Baddeley conducted a series of attention tess on individuals with Alzheimer’s and control participants, one involving looking for the letter ‘Z’ among easy and difficult distractor letters and a dual task procedure. The patients with Alzheimer’s performed worse on the difficult distractor task and even