KLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

BELAGAVI

BIOLOGY PROJECT
WORK
2023-2024

SUBMITTED BY:
Bhumi M. Chingale
Class: 11th
Roll No. - 8
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Madhumati ma’am for

guiding me immensely through the course of my project. The
constructive advice and constant motivation provided by him have been
responsible for the successful completion of this project.
I also thank my parents and my classmates for their timely help and
guidance. Last, but not least, I would like to thank all those who helped
directly or indirectly towards the completion of this project.
 ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

INVESTIGATORY PROJECT WORK

 CONTENTS

[Link] TOPIC
1. Introduction

2. Causes

3. Stages of Alzheimer's

4. Risk factors

5. Cure

6. Prevention

7. Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain

to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's disease is the most
common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in cognitive, behavioral
and social skills that affects a person's ability to function independently.

It begins with mild memory loss and possibly leads to loss of the ability to
carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
It can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer's disease. Early signs include
difficulty remembering recent events or conversations. As the disease
progresses, memory impairments worsen, and other symptoms develop.

Brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease led to growing trouble

with:

Memory

The memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease persists and worsens,
affecting the ability to function at work or at home.

People with Alzheimer's may:

 Repeat statements and questions over and over

 Forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember
them later
  Routinely misplace possessions
 Get lost in familiar places
 Eventually forget the names of family members and everyday
objects
 Have trouble finding the right words to identify objects, express
thoughts or take part in conversations

Thinking and reasoning

Alzheimer's disease causes difficulty concentrating and thinking, especially

about abstract concepts such as numbers. Multitasking is especially difficult.

Making judgments and decisions

Alzheimer's causes a decline in the ability to make reasonable decisions and

judgments in everyday situations. It may be more difficult to respond
effectively to everyday problems, such as food burning on the stove or
unexpected driving situations.

Planning and performing familiar tasks

Once-routine activities that require sequential steps, such as planning and

cooking a meal or playing a favorite game, become a struggle as the disease
progresses. Eventually, people with advanced Alzheimer's often forget how
to perform basic tasks such as dressing and bathing.

Changes in personality and behavior

Brain changes that occur in Alzheimer's disease can affect moods and
behaviors. Problems may include the following:

 Depression
 Apathy
  Social withdrawal
 Mood swings
 Distrust in others
 Irritability and aggressiveness
 Changes in sleeping habits
 Wandering
 Loss of inhibitions
 Delusions, such as believing something has been stolen

CAUSES

The exact causes of Alzheimer's disease aren't fully understood. But at a

basic level, brain proteins fail to function normally, which disrupts the work
of brain cells (neurons) and triggers a series of toxic events. Neurons are
damaged, lose connections to each other and eventually die.

Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer's disease is caused by a

combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the
brain over time.
In healthy people, all sensations, movements, thoughts, memories, and
feelings are the result of signals
that pass-through billions of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain.
Neurons constantly communicate with each other through electrical charges
that travel down axons,
causing the release of chemicals across tiny gaps to neighboring neurons.
Other cells in the brain, such as astrocytes and microglia, clear away debris
and help keep neurons healthy.

In a person with Alzheimer's disease, toxic changes in the brain destroy this
healthy balance.
These changes may occur years, even decades, before the first signs of
dementia.

Researchers trying to understand the cause of Alzheimer's disease are focused

on the role of two proteins:

 Plaques. Beta-amyloid is a fragment of a larger protein. When

these beta-amyloid fragments cluster together, they appear to have
a toxic effect on neurons and to disrupt cell-to-cell communication.
These clusters form larger deposits called amyloid plaques, which
also include other cellular debris.
  Tangles. Tau proteins play a part in a neuron's internal support and
transport system to carry nutrients and other essential materials. In
Alzheimer's disease, tau proteins change shape and organize
themselves into structures called neurofibrillary tangles. The
tangles disrupt the transport system and are toxic to cells.

But tau and beta-amyloid may not be the only factors involved in
Alzheimer's.
The vascular system may fail to deliver sufficient blood
and nutrients to the brain. The brain may lack the glucose needed to power its
activity.
Chronic inflammation sets in as microglial cells fail to clear away debris, and
astrocytes react to distressed microglia. Eventually, neurons lose their ability
to communicate.
As neurons die, the brain shrinks, beginning in the hippocampus, a part of the
brain important to learning and memory.

STAGES OF ALZHEIMERS

Alzheimer’s disease typically progresses slowly in three general stages: early,

middle and late (sometimes referred to as mild, moderate and severe in a
medical context). Since Alzheimer’s affects people in different ways, each
person may experience symptoms — or progress through the stages —
differently.

Early-stage Alzheimer's (mild)

In the early stage of Alzheimer's, a person may function independently. He or
she may still drive, work and be part of social activities. Despite this, the
person may feel as if he or she is having memory lapses, such as forgetting
familiar words or the location of everyday objects.

Common difficulties include:

 Coming up with the right word or name.

 Remembering names when introduced to new people.
 Having difficulty performing tasks in social or work settings.
 Forgetting material that was just read.
 Losing or misplacing a valuable object.
 Experiencing increased trouble with planning or organizing.
Middle-stage Alzheimer's (moderate)
Middle-stage Alzheimer's is typically the longest stage and can last for many
years. As the disease progresses, the person with Alzheimer's will require a
greater level of care.

During the middle stage of Alzheimer’s, the dementia symptoms are more
pronounced. the person may confuse words, get frustrated or angry, and act in
unexpected ways, such as refusing to bathe. Damage to nerve cells in the
brain can also make it difficult for the person to express thoughts and perform
routine tasks without assistance.

Symptoms, which vary from person to person, may include:

 Being forgetful of events or personal history.

 Feeling moody or withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally
challenging situations.
 Being unable to recall information about themselves like their address
or telephone number, and the high school or college they attended.
 Experiencing confusion about where they are or what day it is.
 Requiring help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion.
 Having trouble controlling their bladder and bowels.
 Experiencing changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping during the day
and becoming restless at night.
 Showing an increased tendency to wander and become lost.
 Demonstrating personality and behavioral changes, including
suspiciousness and delusions or compulsive, repetitive behavior like
handwringing or tissue shredding.

Late-stage Alzheimer's (severe)

In the final stage of the disease, dementia symptoms are severe. Individuals
lose the ability to respond to their environment, to carry on a conversation
and, eventually, to control movement. They may still say words or phrases,
but communicating pain becomes difficult. As memory and cognitive skills
continue to worsen, significant personality changes may take place and
individuals need extensive care.

At this stage, individuals may:

 Require around-the-clock assistance with daily personal care.

 Lose awareness of recent experiences as well as of their surroundings.
 Experience changes in physical abilities, including walking, sitting and,
eventually, swallowing
 Have difficulty communicating.
 Become vulnerable to infections, especially pneumonia.
The person living with Alzheimer’s may not be able to initiate engagement as
much during the late stage, but he or she can still benefit from interaction in
ways that are appropriate, like listening to relaxing music or receiving
reassurance through gentle touch. During this stage, caregivers may want to
use support services, such as hospice care, which focus on providing comfort
and dignity at the end of life. Hospice can be of great benefit to people in the
final stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their families.

RISK FACTORS

Age

Increasing age is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's is not a part of normal aging, but as you grow older the
likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease increases.
One study, for example, found that annually there were four new diagnoses
per 1,000 people aged 65 to 74, 32 new diagnoses per 1,000 people ages 75
to 84, and 76 new diagnoses per 1,000 people aged 85 and older.

Family history and genetics

Your risk of developing Alzheimer's is somewhat higher if a first-degree

relative — your parent or sibling — has the disease.

One better understood genetic factor is a form of the apolipoprotein E gene

(APOE). A variation of the gene, APOE e4, increases the risk of Alzheimer's
disease. Approximately 25% to 30% of the population carries an APOE e4
allele, but not everyone with this variation of the gene develops the disease.

Down syndrome

Many people with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer's disease. This is

likely related to having three copies of chromosome 21 — and subsequently
three copies of the gene for the protein that leads to the creation of beta-
amyloid. Signs and symptoms of Alzheimers tend to appear 10 to 20 years
earlier in people with Down syndrome than they do for the general
population.

Sex

There appears to be little difference in risk between men and women, but,
overall, there are more women with the disease because they generally live
longer than men.

Mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a decline in memory or other thinking

skills that is greater than normal for a person's age, but the decline doesn't
prevent a person from functioning in social or work environments.
People who have MCI have a significant risk of developing dementia. When
the primary MCI deficit is memory, the condition is more likely to progress
to dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. A diagnosis of MCI encourages a
greater focus on healthy lifestyle changes, developing strategies to make up
for memory loss and scheduling regular doctor appointments to monitor
symptoms.

Head trauma

People who've had severe head trauma have a greater risk of Alzheimer's
disease. Several large studies found that in people aged 50 years or older who
had a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's
disease increased. The risk increases in people with more severe and
multiple TBIs. Some studies indicate that the risk may be greatest within the
first six months to two years after the TBI.

Lifestyle and heart health

Research has shown that the same risk factors associated with heart disease
may also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. These include:

 Lack of exercise
 Obesity
 Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke
 High blood pressure
 High cholesterol
 Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes
Excessive alcohol consumption

Poor sleep patterns

These factors can all be modified. Therefore, changing lifestyle habits can to
some degree alter your risk. For example, regular exercise and a healthy low-
fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with a decreased risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease.

CURE

Currently, the only approved drugs for Alzheimer's merely alleviate some of
the symptoms — partially and temporarily — but do not stop the disease
from progressing. Although it was first officially described 115 years ago,
and of course existed long before that, there is still no complete cure for
this disease.

The first new drug to treat Alzheimer's Disease in nearly two decades was
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medication,
Aducanumab (brand name Aduhelm) s the first FDA-approved therapy to
address the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease.
This drug is administered intravenously via a 45- to 60-minute infusion once
a month. It's purported to slow cognitive decline in individuals with mild
disease.
"It's designed to target and remove specific forms of beta-amyloid that
accumulate into plaques, which may contribute to cell death and tissue loss in
areas of the brain particularly important for memory, thinking, learning and
behaviors. The brain goes on creating beta-amyloid, but aducanumab
decreases the amount.

However, Aducanub is still not fully accepted as a treatment for this disease
as trials only included patients in the earliest stages of dementia, called mild
cognitive impairment. It's that group who might stand to benefit, but they are
not easily diagnosed. Thus, researchers say it is tricky to identify patients
who are eligible for the medication and say whether it is effective for people
with severe dementia.
 PREVENTION

Prevention is better than cure. there is no effective cure for Alzheimer's

disease yet. However, individuals can adopt some changes in their lifestyles
to reduce the risks of dementia in future.

The development and testing of promising new therapies, including drugs

that reduce or clear the increase of tau and amyloid proteins in the brain,
therapies targeting the vascular system, glucose metabolism, and
inflammation, and lifestyle interventions like exercise or diet, and behavioral
approaches like social engagement, that may enhance brain health.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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