Term
| Alzheimer's: Neurotransmitters Affected |
|
Definition
| Decreased Acetylcholine, Dopamine, Seratonin, Norepinepherine |
|
|
Term
| Alzheimer's: Neural Abnormalities |
|
Definition
Cortical atrophy:
-Medial temporal lobes (rhinal cortex) and hippocampi
-Inferior temporal lobe (ventral "what"stream: facial and object recognition)
- Posterior lateral temporal and posterior parietal areas.
(up to 1/3 of cortical volume lost)
Lateral ventricles enlarged.
Neurofibliary tangles
Neuritic placques (beta amyloid) |
|
|
Term
| Alzheimer's: Key Symptoms |
|
Definition
Storage Problem.
1. Anterograde amnesia
2. Anomia (forget words), aphasia
3. Acalcula, get lost
4. Retrograde amnesia with loss of semantic memory
5. Agnosia, Prosopagnosia: Facial recognition
6. Apraxia -- inability to perform purposeful actions
7. Personality changes
8. Decline in executive function, social and occupational function. |
|
|
Term
| Alzheimer's: Preferred treatments |
|
Definition
Early stage: Cholinesterase inhibitors (plus vitamin E)
Moderate to severe stages: Mematamine (Namenda) |
|
|
