New Report Says over 10 Million Americans Will soon Develop Alzheimer's disease

New Report Says over 10 Million Americans Will soon Develop Alzheimer's disease

Every 22 seconds in the world and every 71 seconds in this country, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and a startling new report out today from the Alzheimer's Association predicts that one out of every eight baby boomers — or over 10 million Americans — is expected to develop the disease sometime in the near future. If new treatments are years away, is there anything you can do today that might prevent it?

Fran Hershkowitz's mother began losing her memory more than a decade ago, and now Fran, who is 63, worries if he might be next.

"It's frightening, too, to think that one day this is going to be me." the younger Hershkowitz said. Evidence shows that physical exercise may be the most effective remedy today to prevent Alzheimer's disease, and large health studies have shown that people who stay physically active are less likely to develop the disease. Scientists put that idea to the test. Researchers bred mice to develop the specific kind of plaque in the brain, as seen in Alzheimer's disease. Some mice were allowed to exercise, and some were not. The autopsy results were stunning.

The brains of sedentary mice were riddled with the harmful plaques, but the physically active mice had 50 to 80 percent less plaque. Further tests revealed that the mice who exercised produced twice as much of an enzyme in the brain that prevents plaque buildup. The exercise also produced twice as many tiny blood vessels in the brain to allow plaques to escape. "Moving plaques from the brain into the blood, so it's carried to those organs like the liver where it can be destroyed," said Professor Sangram S. Sisodia, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago and lead investigator in the study. Population studies suggest any exercise that raises your heart rate for 30 to 45 minutes at least several times a week can lower your risk of Alzheimer's. And the more the exercise you get, the lower your risk. "Regular physical exercise is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer's disease today," said Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Alzheimer's Research Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

"There are other possible intervention, including diet, and supplements, intellectual activities, but the data indicate that physical activity is the most likely to prevent this disease," Doctor William Thomas said. For family members determined to avoid another generation of this disease, there is finally preventative action they can take, which they won't have to wait for.

"Regular physical exercise is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer's disease today." Dr. Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center said. "Better than medications, better than intellectual activity, better than supplements and diet."

For family members determined to avoid another generation of this disease, there is finally preventative action they can take, which they won't have to wait for.

Mary Joseph Foundation a non-profit international organization for Alzheimer's disease.

Register and incorporated in the state of New Jersey.

http://www.maryjosephfoundation.blogspot.com/

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Alois Alzheimer

Alois Alzheimer

Alois Alzheimer was born in 1864 in Markbreit in Bavaria, Southern Germany. Excelling in sciences at school he studied medicine in Berlin, Aschaffenburg Tubingen and Wurzburg where he graduated with a medical degree in 1887. He began work in the state asylum in Frankfurt am Main, becoming interested in research on the cortex of the human brain. Here he commenced his education in psychiatry and neuropathology.

Along with Franz Nissl, a colleague at the asylum, Alzheimer spent the following years working on a major six volume study, the 'Histologic and Histopathologic Studies of the Cerebral Cortex,' describing the pathology of the nervous system. The work was finally published between 1907 and 1918. In 1895 Alzheimer was appointed director of the asylum where he continued his research on a number of subjects including manic depression and schizophrenia.

Today, the pathological diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is still generally based on the same investigative methods used in 1906. This is remarkable compared with the development of investigative methods for other diseases, and it speaks volumes about the quality of Alzheimer's discovery.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and accounts for 65% - 80% of all cases. It destroys brain cells and nerves disrupting the transmitters which carry messages in the brain, particularly those responsible for storing memories. Alzheimer's disease was first described by A. Alzheimer's in 1906.

During the course of Alzheimer's disease, nerve cells die in particular regions of the brain. The brain shrinks as gaps develop in the temporal lobe and hippocampus, which are responsible for storing and retrieving new information. This in turn affects people's ability to remember, speak, think and make decisions. The production of certain chemicals in the brain, such as acetylcholine is also affected. It is not known what causes nerve cells to die but there are characteristic appearances of the brain after death. In particular, 'tangles' and 'plaques' made from protein fragments are observed under the microscope in damaged areas of brain. This confirms the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Currently there are over 30 million peoples worldwide who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to grow to well over 61 million by 2020. Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and number six worldwide.

Mary Joseph Foundation a non-profit international organization for Alzheimer's disease.

register and incorporated in the state of New Jersey.

Mary Joseph Foundation
137 1/2 Washington Ave.
Belleville, New Jersey 07109

Alzheimer's and the cells

Alzheimer's this disease form a widely dispersed areas of the brain, the senses send information to the hippocampal complex. here, where the information is packaged into memories, also is where Alzheimer's begins. The two hallmarks of the disease are amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles.

Amyloid beta plaque: One of the two anatomical hallmarks of Alzheimer's. Amyloid beta is a fragment derived from a larger protein called app, for amyloid precursor protein. In a healthy brain, these fragments are broken down and eliminated. In aging and diseased brains they accumulate between neurons, eventually causing their death.

Entorhinal cortex: Part of the hippocampal memory complex, the entorhinal cortex is the initial processing center for the informational bits of experience that are assembled into a memory.

Hippocampus:The central memory system, located in the medial temporal lobe. Memories are encoded here before being shipped out for storage to other locations in the neocortex.

Microtubules: Tunnel-like structures inside cells that help transport nutrients and other important biochemicals from one part of the neuron to another.

Neurofibrillary tangles: One of the two anatomical hallmarks of Alzheimer's. The other is amyloid beta plaque. In healthy cells, long tau protein fibers help maintain cells structure.

How nerve cells communicate

In Alzheimer's these paired helical filaments become tangled and destroy microtubules, thereby disrupting communication between neurons.

Tau: A protein present in all nerve cells, tau ...rhymes with now acts as a stabilizer of the microtubules.In Alzheimer's, an overproduction of tau causes tangles to develop and nerve cells to die.

Mary Joseph Foundation a non-profit international Organization for Alzheimer's

register and incorporated in the state of New Jersey

137 1/2 Washington Ave,

Belleville, New Jersey 07109