Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia

Kelsey ConrowShelby LubbersMicca HenryRachel Turley

Dementia vs Alzheimer’s Disease

•Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life.

•Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior.

Alzheimer’s Disease

•The most common form of dementia: 50-80% of dementia cases

•Progressive disease where the symptoms worsen over time

•Symptoms become severe enough to interfere with daily life

Who gets it?

•Greatest risk factor is age. ▫Majority of people are >65 years

•5% people have early onset Alzheimer’s in their 40’s

•Other risk factors: Family history & Genetics

Causes of Dementia

•Diseases that affect blood vessels•Nutritional deficiencies•Infections that affect the brain and spinal

cord•Diseases that cause degeneration or loss

of nerve cells in the brain- Alzheimer’s Disease

Early Stages of AD

•Before symptoms, plaques begin to form in brain areas involved in:▫Learning & memory▫Thinking & planning

•May begin 20 years or more before diagnosis

Mild to Moderate AD

•Plaques spread to areas involved in:▫Speaking & understanding speech▫Your sense of where your body is in relation

to objects around you•Generally last from 2 to 10 years

Severe AD

•Most of the cortex is severely damaged•Brain shrinks dramatically due to cell

death•Lose ability to communicate, recognize

family, and care for themselves•May last 1-5 years

Cortex shrivels upVentricles grow larger (fluid filled spaces)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq_Er-tqPsA

So what is the proposed underlying metabolic cause of

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease?

Metabolic

•Aging is the most common risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disease.

•Oxidative stress may also contribute to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders.

•Oxidative stress may lead to mitochondrial failure and problems with the ETC.

Proposed protective mechanism

Conventional Medicines•Cholinesterase inhibitors

▫Prevent breakdown of acetylcholine a key chemical messenger for nerve cells

•Memantine▫Regulates the activity of glutamate▫All these drugs come with side effects such

as headaches, constipation, confusion and dizziness

Can we stop or delay this terrible

disease with nutrition?

Micronutrients?

Micronutrients of Interest

•Vitamin D•Ginkgo biloba

Vitamin D•Fat soluble vitamin•Key micronutrient in calcium absorption

and mineral homeostasis•Vitamin D receptor (VDR) interaction also

involved in modulation of transcription•Growing evidence of VDR activity

Vitamin D•Provides an antioxidant like protection via

up regulation of glutathione•May protect the structure and integrity of

neurons via detoxification and neurotrophin synthesis

Ginkgo biloba

•One of the oldest living tree species•Dried leaves used to make plant extract•Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

properties•Protect cell membranes & regulate

neurotransmitter function

Ginkgo biloba

•Amyloid beta triggers mitochondrial dysfunction through elevation of ROS

•Increased ROS can inhibit protein import & damage cellular structures

•EGb761 has antioxidant effects and targets amyloid beta, thereby reducing ROS and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction

•Amyloid beta is the main component of amyloid plaques found in AD

Conclusion

•What is the moral of the Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia Story?

•Age and Genetics are primary contributing factors and largely unalterable

•Key prevention seems to be a well rounded diet, plenty of key micronutrients and antioxidants

•USE YOUR BRAIN!! Learning and staying sharp provide some of the greatest protective action.

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• (6) Mazza, M, A Capuano, P Bria, and S Mazza. Ginkgo biloba and donepezil: a comparison in the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study. J Neurology 13:981-985, 2006.

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221-232. • (8) Schaffer, S, H Asseburg, S Kuntz, WE Muller, and GP Eckert. Effects of polyphenols on brain ageing and

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