(College/University/Institute)
Thesis Statement: Alzheimer’s affects the cognitive functions of individuals in a number of ways.
Introduction
“Alzheimer’s” is a form of dementia that renders the person with memory, cognition and dispositional problems. Manifestations of this disease do not arise overnight; these signs develop over time and worsen as time to the point that the condition can interfere with the person’s daily tasks and activities. The condition is the best known form of “dementia,” a universal term commonly associated with memory loss as well as the loss of a number of intellectual functions that can significantly disrupt the person’s daily routines (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The condition cannot be reversed and is degenerative; it gradually destroys the ability of the person memory and cognition skills, and will incapacitate the person from being able to function normally. In many cases, the signs of the condition first appear in people approaching their mid-60’s, and it is believed that approximately 5 million in the United States have the condition (National Institute of Aging).
Dementia impacts the individual in varying degrees from the most benign form where it is beginning to impact the functioning of the person to its most severe phase, when the person is rendered completely dependent on the help of others to perform even the most basic tasks. The root of dementia varies dependent on the ongoing transformations of the person’s brain. Other forms of dementias are the “Lewy body dementia,” “frontotemporal disorders,” and “vascular dementia.” Nonetheless, it is not uncommon for people to have more than one form of dementia, having one or more imbalances. For example, one person can have vascular as well as Alzheimer’s (p. 1).
According to Pan, Elliot, Graham, Green, et al (2016), dementia mainly affects the elderly, with the frequency of occurrence multiplying every 5 years after the person reaches the age of 65 years of age. Alzheimer’s accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all cases of dementia; aside from increasing memory loss, the person will also experience extreme mood swings, issues with communications and logical thinking, and eventually loss of being able to live in independently (p. 151). Experts, however, are still working to reveal the intricate shifts in the brain that contribute to the rise and progression of Alzheimer’s in a person.
Research seems to point that the impairment to the brain begins at least 10 years prior to the time that these imbalances are seen in the person. In this stage, the person may seem to be free of the symptoms of the condition, but already, virulent changes are beginning to occur in the person’s brain. Dangerous buildups of proteins form “amyloid plaques and tau tangles across the whole brain, stopping healthy neurons from functioning correctly, and eventually die off (National Institute of Aging).
Body
Mild Cognitive Impairment
“Cognitive impairment” can be defined as the “loss or deterioration of intellectual capacity characterized by impairments in short-or long-term memory, language, concentration and attention, orientation to place, or time, visual spatial abilities or executive functions (California Department of Health Care Service Community Based Adult Services). Here, the agency classifies the range of cognitive decline. The first stage shows no decline and no signs are evident to medical health professions during an interview. The second stage is where the person begins to forget information such as names or items. The third evinces a mild decline in the memory faculty of the person that can only be evident to a number of people and functions such as memory and consolidation begin to arise.
These deficiencies can be seen and measured in clinical trials or are palpable in the course of an extensive medical interview. The fourth phase is marked by a decreased capacity to accomplish simple math equations, inability to balance expenses with payables, and is usually withdrawn in social and intellectually challenging scenarios. The fifth phase is where the individual will need some degree of assistance, as well as a diminished capacity to remember very important details during a diagnostic interview, get confused with important dates; however, the person will generally not require assistance with eating and using the toilet. In a severe stage, the person’s memory continues to degenerate, significant mood and dispositional situations begin to arise, and the persons in this stage require considerable assistance to accomplish their daily tasks. In the last stage, the individual loses the ability to respond to their environment, speak, and lose all control of their movements (California Department of Health Care Service Community Based Adult Services).
“Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional phase ranging from the expected stage for memory and cognition loss to the more precipitous decline in brain functions. This stage can range from memory loss, speech, reasoning and deduction that can be more compared to the traditional age related shifts. If a person has MCI, it will be plausible that the person will notice a slight decline in their memory and cognition faculties. In addition, one’s friends and other family members will take note of these slight changes; nonetheless, these changes are not sufficient to impede one’s routine activities (Mayo Clinic, 2016).
Persons with this form of cognitive imbalance have a higher exposure of developing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. However, it must be noted that people who have MCI do not automatically translate to these people developing the condition. Analysts categorize MCI on the impact on the cognition skills of the person. MCI that affects the memory faculty of the person is termed as “amnestic MCI.” In this form, people begin to forget significant information that would have been easily retained or remembered; these can include previous conversations, recent events, and appointments. The other type, “nonamnestic MCI,” affects reasoning faculties other than memory. These can range from the capacity to make logical decisions, ascertain the number of steps needed to accomplish a certain task, and even visual judgment (Alzheimer’s Association).
Moderate Cognitive Impairment
This phase is generally held as the longest of the stages, lasting to years in a number of cases. With the progression of the condition, the needs of the person with the condition will be increased, needing a higher level of assistance. The person is prone to confuse the sequence and use of words, is irritable or aggressive, or will act unusually such as having an intense disdain for cleaning oneself or taking a bath. The damage to the person’s brain cells can render it extremely impossible for the person to effectively convey their thought and accomplish even the most basic tasks. Functions such as recalling their home address or phone number, difficulty in controlling bowel and bladder movements, and shifts in sleeping habits, such as sleeping during the day and being unable to generate sleep during the night.
There is also an increased threat that the person will go off and become lost. Lastly, there is also an increase in personality imbalances such as inordinate jealousy or skepticism, compulsiveness, illusions, and repetitive activities such as tissue shredding and hand wringing (Alzheimer’s Association). At this stage, the deterioration in the person’s brain is mainly in the areas that regulate language, logic, sensory facilitation, and cognizant thought. Loss of memory and disorientation progresses and the person will have difficulty identifying relatives and friends. In addition, these individuals will be without capacity to be equipped and learn, accomplish complicated tasks, and to deal with new scenarios (National Institute of Aging).
Severe Cognitive Impairment
The plaques and the knots develop all over the brain during the moderate stage will overpower the brain, reducing its size significantly. People in this stage of the condition will be unable to communicate their thoughts and words to others; in addition, these people will need extensive care and assistance. Over time, as brain mass is continually reduced, much of the functions that were formerly done by the person is now impossible to do. This can result in the person being bedridden until such time that the body’s functions will ultimately stop owing to the destruction of the parts of the brain that governed these functions have been destroyed resulting in the death of the person (National Institute of Aging).
Conclusion
Experts are still in a quandary as to the actual cause for the development of Alzheimer’s in a person. For people with “early onset Alzheimer’s,” a genetic anomaly is generally attributed as the cause. The latter onset phase of the condition develops from an intricate series of changes in the brain of the person that does not occur overnight; these changes occur over a significant period of time. In this stage, the developing factors can range from an amalgamation of environmental, genetic, as well as lifestyle components. The significance of any of these reasons regarding the increasing or decreasing the vulnerability of the person in contracting Alzheimer’s may vary from one person to another.
In this light, experts are continuing studies to be able to better understand the buildup of plaques, tangles, and the other biological descriptions of Alzheimer’s. Progressions in technologies in brain imaging give researchers the ability the monitor the spread of irregular amyloid and tau proteins in the brain as well as shifts in the structure of the person’s brain and operation. In addition, experts are further studying the earliest processes in assessing and examining the condition by evaluating the changes in the person’s brain as well as the composition of the person’s body fluids that can be seen years prior to the development of Alzheimer’s in the person.
One of the largest mysteries associated with Alzheimer’s is the question why the condition predominantly affects the elderly. Studies on non-disease related aging of the brain is slowly illuminating the dilemma. Scientists are grasping the relation of changes in the brain associated to the age of the person and the damage of the same to the person’s neurons, contributing to the development of Alzheimer’s in the person. These age-associated changes in the brain include the shrinking of certain regains of the brain, inflammation, the production of free radicals, and the degeneration of the production of energy within the cell (National Institute of Aging).
As a highly complicated condition, it is highly implausible that a single medication regimen or rehabilitation will be able to successfully treat the condition. Existing methodologies center on slowing or delaying the manifestations of the condition that focus on strengthening mental operation and manage the behavioral aspects of the condition. Aside from these approaches, scientists also hope to develop new treatment regimens designed to address the condition from the genetic to the lifestyle factors that result in the development of the condition (National Institute of Aging).
References
Alzheimer’s Association, “Mild cognitive impairment” Retrieved 12 May 2016 from <http://www.alz.org/dementia/mild-cognitive-impairment-mci.asp
California Department of Health Care Service Community Based Adult Services. “Guide to determine Alzheimer’s dementia stages for CBAS screening” Retrieved 12 May 2016 from <http://www.aging.ca.gov/programsproviders/adhc-cbas/Forms/2011/Guide_to_Determine_Alzheimers_Disease_or_Dementia_Stages.pdf
National Institute of Aging, “Alzheimer’s disease fact sheet” Retrieved 12 May 2016 from <https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
Pan, X., Elliot, C., Graham, S.F., Green, B.D., et al (2016). Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology has transient effects on the brain and blood metablome. Neurobiology of Aging 38 pp. 151-163
