Ask a Teacher

Search



what leads to Alzheimer ?
 Alzheimer's disease results from a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time. Although the causes of Alzheimer's are not yet fully understood, its effect on the brain is clear. Alzheimer's disease damages and kills brain cells. A brain affected by Alzheimer's disease has many fewer cells and many fewer connections among surviving cells than does a healthy brain.
    The gradual loss of brain function that characterizes Alzheimer's disease seems to be due to two main forms of nerve damage:

    Nerve cells develop tangles (neurofibrillary tangles)
    Protein deposits known as beta-amyloid plaques build up in the brain.
One theory suggests that ingesting tiny particles of aluminum -- from cookware, for example -- may lead to Alzheimer's. Another proposes a link between plaque formation and free radicals -- unstable, free-ranging molecules that can produce destructive chemical reactions. Both theories are controversial and unproven. Indeed, many researchers now consider the link between Alzheimer's and aluminum extremely questionable.


comments powered by Disqus