psychology Alzheimer’s

Psychology Alzheimer’s

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Psychology Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is one which affects the brain cellsby killing them. The first area affected by Alzheimer’s disease is the cortex in the brain. The diseases cause it to shrink making the spaces in the brain become larger. The hippocampus in the cortex is responsible for forming new memories. Alzheimer’s disease also affects locus coeuruleus. This is the part of the brain that deals with memory, heart rate regulation, cognition and attention. Alzheimer’s usually affect locus coeuruleus because it’s work is to regulate the activities of the blood vessel in the brain. It’s location also makes it possible for infections or toxins to act on it. (Karch & Goate, 2015)

Alzheimer’s disease has several side effects. It is responsible for the impairment and loss of functions of the brain like making someone loose their memory and cognition. It is also able to affect the body by making muscles rigid such that it becomes difficult for someone to carry out their usual activities. As shared by (Kumar & Singh, 2015), usually leads to having someone require assistance or help from others. It also affects the personality of an individual. Alzheimer’s disease also affects the connection of neurones in the brain.j

According to (Karch & Goate, 2015), Alzheimer’s disease progresses in several stages but generally varies on how it affects one person to another. The first stage of Alzheimer’s disease has no impairment. In this first stage, one does not have problems with memory. In the second stage, the patient might start experiencing memory lapses like forgetting some words or places they were once familiar with. However, medical tests will not show conclusive symptoms of dementia. In the third stage however, the Alzheimer’s disease will be noticeable because the patient will start showing some signs of difficulty in remembering things or concentration.

Medical examination on the fourth stage will show that Alzheimer’s disease will have started to affect the patient. The fifth stage will show that the patient has moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. The patient in this stage will start experiencing noticeable memory loss such that he or she will require external assistance. The sixth stage will have the patient experiencing severe Alzheimer’s disease symptoms such that loss of memories will worsen. In the last stage, the patients will experience Alzheimer’s disease symptoms such that the patient will no longer be responsive to the environment because the brain cells and neurones will have died.

According to (Kumar & Singh, 2015), medications for Alzheimer’s disease are not specific. There are no drugs used to treat the disease, but there are medications given to the patients so that they help them deal with the symptoms more gracefully. The patients are prescribed with medicine that helps them deal with their drastic changes in behaviour. They are also prescribed with some for loss of memory like rivastigmine and meantime drug. The doctors also provide with other ways or remedies like the use of fish oil or coconut oil that help them with boosting their immune system as well as the functionality of the brain.Medications that help patients deal with their depression or sleeping problem are also given to them.

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are somehow similar but yet different. Unlike Alzheimer’s, dementia is usually a syndrome which can take on different types or forms. However, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are similar because they are both caused by a damage in brain cells. They both have similar symptoms like memory loss and behavioural change. They also have similar side effects like depression, troubles sleeping and impairment in communication. When it comes to treatment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease tend to overlap. However, treatments in dementia usually relies on the causes and the type being treated whereas Alzheimer’s disease does not have a specific cure.(Jung, 2015)

Reference

A Kumar, A Singh .(2015), A review on Alzheimer’s disease, Pathophysiology and its management

CM Karch, AM Goate. (2015), Alzheimer’s disease risk genes and mechanisms of disease pathogenesis

CG Jung. (2015), Psychology of dementia praecox