Alzheimer's disease affects people in varying ways. The causes of Alzheimer's Disease have yet to be determined, but known primary risk factors involve aging and genetics. The onset of the disease generates changes in the behavior and mental state of individuals. The mental deterioration in an Alzheimer's patient leads to changes in the processing of thoughts and emotions.
Characteristics
Affecting people 65 years of age and older, Alzheimer's ddisease is the most prevalent form of dementia. According to Elaine A. Moore and Lisa Moore, authors of "The Encyclopedia of Alzheimer's Disease," "Alzheimer's Disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impairment of memory, thinking, behavior and emotion." Symptoms of the disease include, but are not limited to, forgetfulness and the inability to think clearly, hallucinations and social withdrawal. As a result of memory loss and disorientation, a decline in motor skills, sensory abilities and an inability to use language in appropriate contexts takes place.
Brain Function
An Alzheimer's patient's inability to function directly relates to brain impairment. The brain contains billions of neurons, or nerve cells. Information regarding memory, emotion and thought passes through synapses, which are networks of tiny branches connecting the nerve cells. When deterioration of nerve cells and loss of synapses occur, the brain becomes impaired. As Alzheimer's disease progresses, loss of nerve cells and synapses continues to increase. Communication of information within the brain fails, creating difficulty for individuals who suffer from the disease to remember information or process thoughts and emotions in a given context.
Emotion Processing
According to Deborah Zaitchick and Marilyn S. Albert, authors of "Cognition and Emotion" chapter in the book titled "Cognitive Neuropsychology of Alzheimer's Disease," knowledge concerning emotion is "broadly distributed across both hemispheres of the brain," indicating that emotion processing involves multiple functions. Knowledge of emotion allows individuals to interpret what emotions are produced and the effects of those emotions in given situations. Perception of emotion takes place through observation of facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. Expression of emotion triggers the signals in the brain, indicating that communication of information is necessary.
Effects
Individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease become incapable of interpreting emotion correctly because the lack of nerve cells and synapses does not allow the brain to process the necessary information. As a result Alzheimer's, patients are often nonresponsive to the emotions and actions of others. Zaitchick and Albert report that previous research studies repeatedly indicates that brain damage associated with Alzheimer's disease prevents sufferers from recognizing emotions and appropriately interpreting those emotions in social situations.
Warning
No cure for Alzheimer's disease currently exists. Alzheimer's disease results in irreversible brain damage.
Tags: nerve cells, Alzheimer disease, Alzheimer disease, Alzheimer Disease, Alzheimer Disease, Alzheimer patient, brain damage