What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
(stills and transcript from a video by Alliance for Aging Research, on youtube)
1.
2.
0:11
Alzheimer’s
is a slow,
fatal disease
of the brain,
affecting 1 in
10 people
over the age
of 65. No
one is
immune.
BEGINNERS: 1 in 10 people gets Alzheimer’s disease and slowly
dies from it.
3.
0:35 They start
here, in the
hippocampus, the
part of the brain
where memories
are first formed.
Over many years’
time, the plaques
and tangles slowly
distroy the
hippocampus and
it becomes harder and harder to form new memories.
BEGINNERS: It begins in the part of the brain called the
“hippocampus”. Over many years the protein types (“plaques and
tangles”) destroy the hippocampus and it is difficult for people to
remember new things.
0:22
The disease
comes on
gradually, as
two abnormal
protein
fragments
called Plaques
and Tangles
accumulate in
the brain and
kill brain cells.
BEGINNERS: Two types of proteins (called “Plaques” and “Tangles”) build
up in the brain and kill brain cells.
4.
0:51 Simple
recollections from a
few hours or days
ago that the rest of
us might take for
granted are just not
there.
BEGINNERS: People who are not sick think it its normal to remember
what happened a few hours or a few days ago, but people who have
Alzheimer’s can’t remember that.
5.
0:59
6.
1:14
After that, more plaques and tangles spread into different
regions of the
brain, killing
cells and
compromising
function
wherever they
go. This
spreading
around is what
causes the
different
stages of Alzheimer’s.
BEGINNERS: Then, more protein parts move into different parts of
the brain and kill cells. The brain cannot function well. The moving
protein fragments create the different stages of Alzheimer’s.
7.
From the
hippocampus, the
disease spreads here,
to the region of the
brain where language
is processed. When
that happens, it gets
tougher and tougher to
find the right word.
BEGINNERS: From the hippocampus, the disease moves here, to the part
of the brain where language is handledha. Now it is more difficult for
Alzheimer’s patients to find the right word.
8.
1:25
Next, the disease
creeps toward the
front of the brain
where logical thought
takes place.
BEGINNERS: Then the disease moves in the direction of the front of
the brain where logical thinking happens.
1:30 Very gradually, a
person begins to lose the
ability to solve problems,
grasp concepts and make
plans.
BEGINNERS: Very slowly, it becomes more and more difficult for a person
to solve problems, to understand concepts and to make plans.
9.
1:39
10.
1:52
Next, the plaques and
tangles invade the part of
the brain where emotions
are regulated. When this
happens, the patient
gradually loses control
over moods and feelings.
After that, the disease
moves to where the brain
makes sense of things it
sees, hears and smells.
In this stage, Alzheimer’s
wreaks havoc on a
person’s senses and can
spark hallucinations.
BEGINNERS: Next, the protein parts (“plaques and tangles”) take over
the part of the brain where emotions are controlled. When this happens,
the patient slowly loses control over moods and feelings.
BEGINNERS: After that, the disease moves to where the brain
understands things it sees, hears and smells. In this stage, Alzheimer’s
turns people senses upside down and can cause hallucinations.
11.
2:08
12.
Eventually the
plaques and
tangles erase a
person’s oldest
and most precious
memories, which
are stored here in
the back of the
brain.
BEGINNERS: Towards the end, the “plaques and tangles” destroy a
person’s oldest and most beloved memories. These are stored in the
back of the brain.
2:17
Near the end, the
disease compromises
a person’s balance
and coordination and
in the very last stage
it destroys the part of
the brain that
regulates breathing
and the heart.
BEGINNERS: Near the
end, the patient has
problems with balance and coordination and in the very last stage it
destroys the part of the brain that regulates breathing and the heart.
13
2:32
14.
2:45
The progression
from mild
forgetting to death
is slow and steady
and takes place
over an average of
eight to ten years.
It is relentless and
– for now –
incurable.
BEGINNERS: The stages from just forgetting something to death are
slow, but happen one after the other. They happen generally in 8-10
years. Alzheimer’s is unstoppable and – for now – there is no cure.
Helping your family,
friends and
neighbors to better
understand
Alzheimer’s, will
reduce stigma ,
improve care and
even help the fight
for a cure. Thanks for
helping to do your
part. Learn more at
www.AboutAlz.org
BEGINNERS: If you help your family, friends and neighbors to
understand Alzheimer’s Disease better, this will help people to be more
open about it, give better care and even help to find a cure. Thanks for
helping to do your part. For more information, visit this website:
www.AboutAlz.org