Alzheimer's 100 Years On

A heated debate has broken out following the successful cloning of human embryos in the US. Some are for it, while others say it is immoral. However, the geniuses behind this technolgical breakthrough claim that it can be the answer to incurable diseases like HIV and Alzheimer's. This comes at a time when Alzheimer's celebrates its 100th birthday after its symptoms were first defined by the doctor from Germany, after whom it was named.

Alzheimer's and Frau August D

German scientist, psychologist and neuropathologist, Alois Alzheimer first met Frau August D late November 1901 when he began treating her for a puzzling disease. There was no documentation of her bizarre illness and its symptoms, though progressive mental detoriation due to old age was commonplace.

Alzheimer recorded what he saw throughout the five years during which she was under his care. "When committed to the institution, her behavior was dominated by total helplessness. She was confused as to time and place. Occasionally she remarked that she did not understand anything and did not know her way about. At times she was delirious, and carried parts of her bed around, calling for her husband and daughter, and had auditory hallucinations. Often she screamed in a frightening voice for hours at a time," he wrote.

Frau August D died at the age of 51 from a seemingly incurable disease. This prompted the Bavarian Doctor to publish a landmark paper on the case in 1906. He stipulated that the woman’s symptoms deviated from any known disease pattern.

His report also highlighted what he found after performing an autopsy: a collection of brain cell abnormalities. In 1907 he presented his paper at a convention.

The cerebral cortex part of her brain was severely damaged. More specifically, the nerve cells in this part of the brain had dense deposits around them (plaques) while the fibers inside were twisted (tangles).

These are the signs of what is known today as Alzheimer's. It is interesting to note that despite the development of neuro-technology, Alzheimer's disease can still only be definitively diagnosed through an autopsy and the identification of the plaques and tangles which he described decades ago.

At the time, Alzheimer was a research assistant to Emil Kraeplin, a distinguished psychiatrist at the Munich medical school. It was Kraeplin who proposed naming the condition after Alzheimer.

Finding a cure

The German Alzheimer Association says that by 2050, at least two million Germans will suffer from dementia. At least two thirds of those would suffer from a symptom of Alzheimer's. Reseachers and scientists are still no closer to finding a cure for the disease. Although, a US company claims that the cloning of a human embryo will aid them in beating the illness. Nonetheless, no guarantees have been given.

Scientists have learnt a lot more about the illness since the early part of last century concerning the exact nature of the plaques and tangles and the brain regions that become affected as the disease progresses. Moreover, scientists are gaining greater insight into the genetic factors contributing to Alzheimer's disease.

Four genes have now been identified; three of these genes (located on chromosomes 1, 14, and 21) each contribute to early-onset Alzheimer's disease and one gene (located on chromosome 19) increases the risk of developing the disease later in life.

Genetic risk factors alone, in most cases, are not enough to cause the disease. Other risk factors are involved and researchers are exploring them.

In 1993, the first drug to treat Alzheimers made its way into the market. Like other drugs that have since been launched, it works by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain and can slow cognitive degeneration.

The most popular drug treatments for Alzheimers are Cognex, Aricept, Exelon, and Reminyl. Essentially, they all work the same way although some have more adverse side effects than others.

In 1997, studies indicated that vitamin E and a drug normally used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Eldepryl, were found to be helpful in slowing mental deterioration in patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease.

More recently, studies have suggested that regular exercise and estrogen replacement in women may prevent or delay Alzheimer's.

There is no known treatment that will cure Alzheimer's disease. For those who are currently suffering with the disease, medications can only help control the symptoms first described by the German Doctor 100 years ago.