Alzheimer's Disease Flashcards
Brain growth spurt
Due to increase in…
- Neuron size
- Myelination
- # of glial cells
- Elaboration of dendritic processes
Mitosis after pre-natal life
Occurs only in olfactory, dentate gyrus, and prefrontal cortex neurons
Common causes of death in Alzheimer’s
Infection, aspiration pneumonia, cerebral hemorrhage
Areas of neuron loss in Alzheimer’s
Limbic Strucutres:
1. Neo-cortex- association and higher-order areas
- Hippocampus- memory
- Amygdala
Reticular Structures:
4. Nucleus basalis of Meynert
- Nucleus locus coeruleus- decreased O2 and glucose retrieved from blood; loss of REM
- Raphe nuclei- unregulated mood
Nissl bodies
Stains RER and RNA; chromatolysis causes decreased staining in Alzheimer’s
NFT
Neurofibrillary Tangles
Insoluble tau proteins that build up in neurons of Alzheimer’s pts
*Tau normally stabilizes microtubules
Senile plaques
Contain an: Amyloid core Swollen neurites -lysosomes, ApoE Reactive astrocytes -Drawn by chronic inflammation
Normal changes in dendritic shafts
Will produce growth of other neuronal dendrites
*Not the case in Alzheimer’s
Congophilic angiopathy
Deposition of amyloid in cerebral/meningeal arteries
- Leads to cerebrovascular hemorrhage
- Normally cleared by the BBB during sleep
Behavioral changes in Alzheimer’s
- Memory loss
- Decreased initiative
- Depression
* Must give SSRIs to treat - Faulty judgment
Later symptoms get more severe w / language deficits and incontinence
Sundowning
Presence of severe anxiety/fear in the evening for Alzheimer’s pts.
-Can also induce hypersexuality
Donepezil
Cholinesterase inhibitor used to treat Alzheimer’s
- Will delay onset of Alzheimer’s for up to 3yrs
- Should only be used acutely to treat symptoms
DBS
Deep Brain Stimulation
- Can stimulate glucose metabolism and the Papez circuit
- Reduced memory loss in Alzheimer’s
Mini Mental Status Exam
Most widely used cognitive test for Alzheimer’s
-Decreasing scores track the rate of decline; pts. often fail memory, concentration, and motor sections
Early onset Familial Alzheimer’s Disease
Mutations that are inherited in AD fashion
- Genes are on chromosomes 21, 14, and 1
- Gene on 21 codes for B-amyloid precursor; gets irregularly cleaved and accumulates into senile plaques