Alzheimer's Disease

Question 1

Symptoms and incidence

Answer 1

10% of over 65 year olds 
35% of over 85 year olds
Memory loss 
Selective decline in memory 
Deficits in attention and personality changes, confusiong, anxiety, iritability
Swallowing and bladder control

Question 2

what is used to measure it

Answer 2

Mini mental state examination MMSE

Question 3

what is the main neuropathology in Alzheimers disease

Answer 3

Amyloid Plaques - around the neurons

Neurofibrillary fibres within the neuron

Question 4

properties of amyloid plaques

Answer 4

Proteins- lumps of amyloid proteins
APP - Amyloid precursor protein
-> clumps of them could block cell to cell signalling

Question 5

where is the gene for APP found

Answer 5

on chromosome 21
- linked to down syndrome because they have triple chromosome 21. 150% APP
AD by 40.

Question 6

apoE- ?

Answer 6

The gene most commonlyy associated with late onset alzheimers.
E4 = BAD
E2 = GOOD
Role is to transport cholesterol

Question 7

neurofibrillary tangles: Tau

Answer 7

Inside neurons they have sticks called microtubules which keep the cells shape
- They are MAPs- Microtubule Associated Proteins

• Gets tangled.

Question 8

Treatment: Drugs

Answer 8

Cholinesterase inhibitors

• Denepezil hydrochloride (Aricept)
• Rivastigmine (Exelon)
• Galantamine (Reminyl)
  the NMDA receptor agonist memantine (Ebixa)

Question 9

acetylcholine-

Answer 9

Decreased in people with alzheimers
Aids the formation of new memories.

• The cholinergic hypothesis of alzheimers

Question 10

NMDA receptor agonist memantine (Ebixa)

Answer 10

may stop glutamatergic induced neurotoxicity.

Question 11

Stem cell treatment

Answer 11

Neural stem cell transplantation improves AD-related cognitive dysfunction. Eighteen-month-old AD mice with plaques and tangles (B; red) within the hippocampus were injected.