Alzheimer's Disease

Question 1

Alzheimer’s is a ________ _________ disorder

Answer 1

Progressive neurodegenerative

Question 2

How do we manage behavior for AD pts?

Answer 2

• Familiar environment
• surround with familiar and comforting objects
• orientation program to include consistency in caregivers
• structured activities
• routine and predictability in day

Question 3

In AD, how does neuronal atrophy often manifest?

Answer 3

• get volume loss in cortex

- enlarge lateral ventricles

Question 4

Neurofibrillary tangles =

Answer 4

cytoskeletal tau proteins that become hyperphosphorylated

Question 5

Neurofibrillary tangles (tau proteins) are accumulated where?

Answer 5

intracellular environment

Question 6

Amyloid plaques accumulate here

Answer 6

extracellular environment

Question 7

What do neurofibrillary tangles and plaques result in?

Answer 7

• widespread inflammation and death of cholinergic cells in the limbic system
• i.e. hippocampal cholinergic neurons

Question 8

AD causes the loss of

Answer 8

• memory
• executive function
• cognition
• intellectual functions

Question 9

What is the biggest risk factor for AD?

Answer 9

age

Question 10

Typical onset is (early/late)

Answer 10

late

Question 11

Two types of AD

Answer 11

• sporadic form (later onset)

- familial AD (early onset)

Question 12

Sporadic form of AD occurs when? Why?

Answer 12

• 70s

- not sure why

Question 13

Familial AD

Answer 13

• much more aggressive than sporadic
• associated with specific gene mutations
• uncommon

Question 14

What are some of the methodologies for AD behavioral management?

Answer 14

• keep pt in familiar environment with comforting objects
• orientation program, including keeping consistency with caregivers if possible
• structured activities
• routine and predictability in day

Question 15

What is the AB hypothesis?

Answer 15

• mutations increase enzymatic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein
• crappy stuff sticks together
• as we age, we lose the ability to clear it effectively
• accumulated proteins gum up the works

Question 16

What happens when abnormal proteins gum up the works?

Answer 16

Impedes communication between neurons

Question 17

What happens to neurons that can’t communicate?

Answer 17

they die

Question 18

Where does the amyloid plaque accumulate?

Answer 18

OUTSIDE the neurons in the extracellular space

Question 19

What is the amyloid precursor protein?

Answer 19

• housekeeper that contributes to normal neuronal function

- we don’t really know what it does

Question 20

Cleavage of amyloid precursor protein: normal vs. abnormal

Answer 20

• happens as we age anyway
• there’s a normal and abnormal way
• crappy stuff likes to stick together

Question 21

What helps clear out crap amyloid?

Answer 21

sleep (“flushes the toilet on your day”)

Question 22

Function of microtubules

Answer 22

• retrograde and anterograde transport (among many other functions)
• delivery of stuff from the axon terminal to the cell body and vice versa

Question 23

Microtubules: How are they dynamic?

Answer 23

• constantly polymerizing and depolymerizing

- based on what the cell needs

Question 24

What is the stabilizing protein for microtubules?

Answer 24

tau

Question 25

What is the tau hypothesis?

Answer 25

• tau becomes hyperphosphorylated
• tau becomes polar
• polar and nonpolar molecules stick together
• tau clumps up

Question 26

Tau accumulates _______ the neuron

AB accumulates _______ the neuron

Answer 26

inside

outside

Question 27

Tau gets ______. AB gets ______.

Answer 27

tangles

plaques