I have participated in advertising-related research before, so I know better. Here is a detailed introduction: From the neuropathology, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is mainly the damage of neurons and synapses in the brain and specific subcortical areas. This kind of injury leads to obvious atrophy of brain regions, including temporal lobe and parietal lobe, as well as partial recession of frontal lobe and cingulate gyrus. There are a lot of amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of AD patients, which are considered to be the main causes of neuronal damage. Because of this remarkable amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles, AD is considered to be a disease caused by protein's misfolding, which is mainly caused by the accumulation of abnormally folded A-β and tau proteins in the brain. There is a membrane protein called amyloid matrix protein (APP) on the nerve cell membrane, which plays a key role in the growth, survival and post-traumatic repair of neurons. In patients with AD, the pathological changes lead to the decomposition of APP into small molecular fragments, one of which is amyloid β-protein, which will accumulate and deposit outside neurons, leading to neuronal degeneration. At present, the pathogenesis of AD is still under study. There is no evidence that the disease is hereditary, but some genes may have potential risks. However, 0. 1% of AD patients show familial autosomal inheritance (that is, it has nothing to do with sex). This type of AD patients usually get sick before the age of 65, so they are called early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. Most early-onset familial AD is related to the mutation of one of the following three genes: APP gene and presenilin 1, 2. However, most AD patients are sporadic and very chromosomal, so many gene mutations may lead to this result. For example, the most studied gene APOE (a serum apolipoprotein). But this gene mutation is not necessarily the main cause of the disease, it may be the result of superposition with the environment. I have learned about a study before that mice with glutamate receptor protein specifically knocked out have AD symptoms, so the abnormality of glutamate system may also lead to AD. The diagnosis of AD is usually based on the patient's medical history, relatives' medical history and clinical observation. CT, MRI, SPECT or PET can all be used to help diagnose brain lesions and dementia types. At the same time, they are also helpful to predict the transition from ordinary memory impairment to AD. Some cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes and smoking, are considered as potential risk factors for AD. Some foods may potentially reduce the occurrence of ad, such as fruits, vegetables, bread, wheat, olive oil, fish and red wine (but personally, this is a healthy life and diet, not a targeted prevention of AD). At present, there is no evidence that vitamins have a significant effect on preventing or treating AD. A phenomenon called "rich environment" may be effective in treating AD: some people who often participate in intellectual activities, such as reading, playing chess, crossword puzzles, playing musical instruments or participating in social activities regularly, show a lower risk of AD. Therefore, activities conducive to cognitive enhancement obviously have a positive effect on cognitive impairment-some studies even believe that learning a second foreign language is effective in delaying the time of AD. Exercise can also effectively reduce the risk of developing AD. At present, there are five drugs approved for the treatment of AD (mainly approved by the United States and the European Union): four are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (tacrine, rivastine, galanthamine and donepezil), and one is NMDA receptor (a glutamate receptor) antagonist (memantine). But these drugs only relieve symptoms, but can't delay the development of the disease. Some psychotropic drugs are sometimes prescribed to AD patients to alleviate some behavioral problems. Some personal opinions: If the elderly at home have obvious memory loss, they should seek medical advice in time and check whether there is any risk of developing AD as soon as possible (there should be many behavioral methods for diagnosing Alzheimer's Harmo's disease on the Internet, and I should be able to do it myself). Although there is no effective treatment for AD at present, it is better to take measures as soon as possible. It is our filial duty to pay more attention to the elderly at home and parents over 60 years old, and always pay attention to their health and memory problems. P found himself writing so much unconsciously, and decided to send this paragraph to the "from neuron to brain" group for archiving. I also hope that more people will pay attention to Alzheimer's disease and their parents' health.
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