šŸ¢ The effect of ageing on the nervous system

Alzheimerā€™s disease

Hearing, vision and memory loss

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Alzheimerā€™s disease

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Alzheimerā€™s disease is the most prevalent type ofĀ dementia. Dementia is a disease affecting the brain, caused by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors over time.Ā AgeĀ is the main risk factor for developing Alzheimerā€™s disease.

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Neurons die gradually as Alzheimerā€™s disease progresses over several years, due to buildups of otherwise safe proteins includingĀ amyloidĀ andĀ tau. Amyloid forms plaques between neurons while tau forms tangles inside them. These structures result in the death of brain cells.

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The first area of the brain affected by Alzheimerā€™s disease is theĀ hippocampus. The hippocampus controlsĀ memoryĀ formation. A decreasing ability to form new memories results in the early symptoms of the disease, namely short term memory loss. Pre-existing memories are not as affected during this time. Emotion is also not affected initially, as this rests with theā€¦

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