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.

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