Interview of Nancy Murphy on Azheimer’s
Megan : Before starting with questions, we wanted to give you a brief overview of what we are doing. We are working on a project for our evolution class which focuses on the use of grid-computing and Alzheimer’s. Grid-computing is a technology that allows computers all over the world to network and work on solving complex problems. In particular, we are using Folding@Home, which is a grid-computing project which aims to “understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases.” There have been several scientific papers written from what this project has found. As Alzheimer’s is one disease they focus on, they hope to find more about causes and eventually cures. We are interviewing you tonight in order to learn more about Alzheimer’s that we might apply to our project.
Frank: Can you tell us about your experience with Alzheimer’s?
As an OT, I worked in a dementia program for veterans with dementia. I underwent a weeklong Certification training in the Claudia Alan Treatment, which is an active form of treatment.
Victor : Can you give us a brief background of the disease?
A specific form of dementia in which one of the primary symptoms is loss of memory, primarily short-term, with the long term memory intact. It is progressive and the earlier the onset, the worse the prognosis. It eventually involves motor skills to the point of inability to swallow or move on their own.
Frank: How does Alzheimer’s differ from other types of dementia?
Alzheimer’s follows a more specific course. It differs from vascular dementia by a marked decrease in abilities and then recovery. Alzheimer’s is more gradual. The only way to distinguish is after death through an autopsy.
Victor: Does Alzheimer’s run in families?
Yes, there is thought to be a genetic component, but all of the mechanisms are not yet understood.
Frank: How prevalent is Alzheimer’s?
There are around 5 million cases in the US.
Victor: Is there a cure or any possible treatments for Alzheimer’s?
There is not a cure at this moment but the most promising up and coming treatment looks to be stem cell research.
Megan: What do you think about the using grid-computing to find possible cures?
I think it’s a wonderful idea to use this; another source of information is sharing research with other countries and watching their trends.
Kevin: Do you see a relationship between evolution and Alzheimer’s?
Possibly ,because it seems to be much more prevalent now than before, so there must be an evolutionary aspect to it.
Megan: Is there any other information that you think would be interesting or helpful for us to know?
As the disease progresses, the victim goes backwards in development as in reverse development, such as:
Teen (emotional, lose inhibitions) -> childlike (need supervision) -> infancy (unable to feed oneself)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease which primarily effects people over 60. There are two types of Alzheimer's, although their symptoms and progression are very similar. The first type is early-onset and this disease first begins to show before the age of sixty, sometimes as early as thirty. Late-onset begins after the age of sixty. They are considered seperately, because it has been found that they are brought about by different genetic mutations.
Alzheimer's is commonly confused with dementia, which is a general term for loss of memory. Alzheimer's is in fact the most common type of dementia. It destroys brain cells, which eventually leads to memory loss and loss of function. It may start out with just small memory lapses, but eventually worsens to the point where one cannot sit up on their own.
Biologically, Alzheimer's leads to nerve damage and tissue loss within the brain; there is actually a notable size difference between a healthy brain and one affected with Alzheimer's. This shrinkage is particularly severe in the hippocampus which is responsible for the formation of new memories. Clusters of protein, called plaques, also form withing the brain of Alzheimer's patients; these plaques inhibit the movement of nutrients to other cells, which often leads to cell death.
There are currently 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and there is no cure. All of this information and more can be found at www.alz.org which is the website for the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's is commonly confused with dementia, which is a general term for loss of memory. Alzheimer's is in fact the most common type of dementia. It destroys brain cells, which eventually leads to memory loss and loss of function. It may start out with just small memory lapses, but eventually worsens to the point where one cannot sit up on their own.
Biologically, Alzheimer's leads to nerve damage and tissue loss within the brain; there is actually a notable size difference between a healthy brain and one affected with Alzheimer's. This shrinkage is particularly severe in the hippocampus which is responsible for the formation of new memories. Clusters of protein, called plaques, also form withing the brain of Alzheimer's patients; these plaques inhibit the movement of nutrients to other cells, which often leads to cell death.
There are currently 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and there is no cure. All of this information and more can be found at www.alz.org which is the website for the Alzheimer's Association.
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