Writing 2: March 2012 Archives

Alzheimer's disease is a form of extreme dementia associated with progressive loss in memory, ability to speak, and ability to think and judge properly. These are very broad symptoms. This disease is relatively common among older people, especially those of age 60 or greater. AD is the most common form of Dementia. There are generally considered to be two types of AD: Early onset AD and Late onset AD.

Late onset AD is commonly associated with older people (60 or greater), and is far far more common than Early onset AD. The most likely reason for the lesser frequency of Early onset AD revolves around very specific, rare gene variations . people who contract early onset AD can look at their family tree and likely locate other relatives who also contracted early onset AD.

Late onset AD is less related to genetics. this does not mean, however, that Late onset AD is a natural part of aging.

Alzheimer's disease in general is not a natural part of aging. What is more disconcerting is that there is no determined cause for this illness. Scientists have suggested that genes and environmental factors play a role for causing the disease, but this is not for certain.

So this leads to the problem of treatment, or the lack of treatment options. There is no known cure for AD, only methods of prolonging the illness. Even by administering drugs to AD patients, they have a minimal effect in slowing the process of progressive brain failure in AD patients.

Preventing this disease is not really easy, because scientists don't know the definite cause of AD. All scientists can do is suggest keeping a stable blood pressure, exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and try to stay mentally and socially active throughout life.

It is clear to me that AD is a disease that has few if any signs of treatment. And this disease effects more than just a few americans. 1 in 8 individuals age 65 or greater have Alzheimer's. How close might a cure possibly be? and how important is it to spend money for Alzheimer research right now?

I have this theory, when I'm older I am going to have Alzheimer's. Seems like a silly thing, but I mostly mean it. Throughout the day, I forget things, things that I should not forget, like what I had for breakfast, or if I even had breakfast. While I know that this does not necessarily have any bearing on whether or not I develop Alzheimer's, it is a thought. Can we see early signs of Alzheimer's in the way our memory works at a younger age, and therefore more effectively prevent it?


Some say that it can be a genetic disorder, others say that there is no connection whatsoever. On the aspect of drugs that could help or cure Alzheimer's, there currently isn't one that could ultimately cure it, only one that could set back the effects for some time. Through the use of one of the drugs and brain stimulating activities, you can prolong the effects of Alzheimer's and even have many "positive" days. Along with this, have the person's days be repetitive in the sense that their schedule is similar day to day, ( I.e. wake up, shower, eat, read, visit, eat, watch a show, play cards, eat, get ready for bed, sleep.) or, the other option is putting the person in a nursing home which will instill a schedule each day. While it is not ideal, the pattern sometimes allows the person to find a place familiar for longer, if not on a conscious level, sometimes on the subconscious level. As of right now, sadly, the end effects are inevitable.

There are different stages of Alzheimer's and typically, the first memories that tend to go are the day to day memories. Then getting lost or forgetting people comes into play. Slowly, hygiene and personality fades. It is a sad and discouraging condition, a cure would be a wonderful miracle to many families affected. And sadly tying that knot around your finger will only remind you that you forgot something, if you remember why it was tied there at all. The hyperlink below is a Rascal Flatts song called Ellsworth that gives a pretty good portrayal on living with Alzheimer's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGukwAYiTQ0

Ghajini is Indian movie which is similar to Memento.According to the movie, the protagonist Sanjay Singhania's (Aamir Khan) is suffering from anterograde amnesia. so he tattoos himself and takes notes and pictures of everybody he meets in daily life in order to recall that person again and if he doesn't remember you which he wont, he will remove his pile of pictures from his pocket and try to see if he knows you. Sanyay's anterograde condition kicks in every 15 minutes, which means he remember things for a limited time frame of 15 minutes only. His memory needs refreshing after that time limit, therefore the tattoos, the scribbled notes and the Polaroid shots. He doesn't actually remember his girl Asin's - death. He comes to know of it when he reads the tattoos on his body every morning after he wakes up.Now here start the list of questions: How does he remember to read or write out those notes? How does he remember to take Polaroid pictures? How is anterograde amnesia different from amnesia and how are the two different from Alzheimer's, which also causes memory loss? Most importantly, if the guy can't remember anything beyond 15 minutes, how the heck does he remember he has anterograde amnesia? Of course, he has his scribbled notes and tattoos to rely on when he gets up in the morning, but he does spend quite some time outside his house spells that go far beyond 15 minutes, trying to track down the killer. so if you are his enemy and he tries to kill, just run away for 15 minutes and comeback , he wont even know you. Here is a clip from the movie.