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The first 11 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (and its explanation)

The first 11 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (and its explanation)

March 29, 2024

Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that causes serious damage to the brain and it kills many neurons, affecting the connections between them. This has an effect at the behavioral level and at the cognitive level, and affects, among many other things, memory.

Alzheimer's is a dementia of the cortical type and is one of the most frequent and known. Generally, the disease progresses gradually, that is why it is essential to detect and diagnose it early . Treatment in the early stages of the disease can relieve symptoms and slow down their progression.

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The proteins involved in Alzheimer's

The exact cause of this disease is still unknown today, although some changes in the brains of people suffering from this affectation are observed. Individuals with Alzheimer's have a high number of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid beta plaques .


The scientific data point to the idea that there are malformations in two proteins that are found in the brain, tau proteins and proteins. beta amyloids. According to a group of researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute, these proteins spread through the brain as a pest, and are related to aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

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While initial research suggested that both proteins initially emerge in separate brain regions, a new study was published in December 2016 in the Journal Acta Neuropathologica affirms that both proteins are present in the early stages of the disease and in the same brain region , which suggests that both contribute to the onset of the disease and are more connected than previously believed. This research was carried out by the University of Aberdeen.


Early symptoms of Alzheimer's

This study concludes, therefore, that for the first time that the molecules supposedly contribute to the initial process of the disease, that is, they are present in very early stages of Alzheimer's. They are found in an area of ​​the brain that participates in the formation of memory and information processing, which could have implications for the development of new drugs, but can also provide important information for the early diagnosis of the disease.

Y… What are the symptoms of early diagnosis? What behaviors do people with Alzheimer's have in the early stages of the disease?

Below you can find a list of early symptoms and signs characteristic of people with Alzheimer's in early stages.

1. Frequent falls

Although falls are somewhat frequent in the elderly, they are even more so in people suffering from Alzheimer's disease . This is what a study found in which 125 adult subjects participated and who were followed up on the frequency with which in a period of eight months they fell or stumbled.


It turns out that when the group of researchers performed the brain scan tests, the subjects with Alzheimer's had fallen more. Falls are common in people with this disease due to wandering or lack of guidance. Also, these individuals usually present hyperkinetic disorder , which makes them more active and move more, increasing the chances of falling.

2. Oblivion in aspects of the routine

Memory problems are characteristic in Alzheimer's , so that in the early stage of the disease it is possible to detect that the memory of these people fails. The easiest way to observe it is in functional objects and those that are used daily. For example, the person does not remember where the keys or dirty dishes are stored. He has serious difficulties in carrying out simple tasks that he used to do normally.

3. Inability to recognize sarcasm

People with Alzheimer's do not understand sarcasm , so in this situation can become extremely serious and take things literally. A study by the University of California at San Francisco, led by Katherine Rankin, found that Alzheimer's patients and those with frontotemporal disease did not recognize sarcasm in face-to-face encounters.

The cause seems to be that the posterior hippocampus of the brain is affected with Alzheimer's disease, and it is a region where short-term memory is stored, which affects sarcasm.

4. Loss of belongings

S e has commented that people with Alzheimer's can forget aspects of routine , like not knowing where to keep the keys or not remembering if they have eaten or not throughout the day.This causes that many times they lose their own belongings, for not knowing where they have put them. They often put their things in the wrong places, for example, the clock in the fridge.

5. Changes in their social behavior

People with Alzheimer's show a series of behaviors that make them think that something is happening to them . His way of behaving as regards his projects is changing or he stops doing the hobbies that he enjoyed so much before. The person is increasingly retiring from social life and may sleep more or spend more time watching television instead of socializing with other people.

6. Difficulties in solving problems

It is common for patients to have difficulties in solving problems . In fact, they find it difficult to do mathematical operations or follow a series of guidelines. For example, it would be very difficult for them to follow a simple culinary recipe.

7. Mood changes

Mood swings are common in people with Alzheimer's disease , which can become very problematic and even conflictive in advanced stages. In fact, his personality changes radically as the disease progresses, and family members are the ones who most feel this behavior.

Anxiety, sadness, fear or frustration are emotions that these subjects can suffer frequently. They can get angry easily both at home and in places where they are outside of their environment.

8. Confusion about time and places

Individuals with this disease may be confused about the time and place . In other words, they may feel disoriented and may get lost easily. This causes serious problems for them, and as stated above, the disorientation also causes these people to fall more.

9. Loss of common sense

The judgment of a person are his opinions and his decisions . Individuals suffering from Alzheimer's can be impaired this ability, which causes them to pay less attention to their self-care or to make decisions that are not understandable and far from common sense.

For example, by giving a lot of money to a telephony vendor who calls the mobile offering an offer. These decisions may seem strange and irresponsible to the rest of the mortals, but not to them.

10. Excessive agitation

It is not uncommon for people with Alzheimer's to feel anxious or agitated . What causes them to be in continuous movement ... The agitation is usually the result of fear, confusion or trying to understand the world that begins to have no meaning at times. This also causes the aforementioned mood swings, and is a clear signal that the person is changing.

11. Difficulty communicating

With this disease, the language and communication skills of the affected person diminish markedly . It is very common that even in the vocabulary you can see these symptoms: difficulties to find the right word, call things by the wrong names, replace familiar words with some unusual or incorrect or call the acquaintances as if they were strangers (for example, to a friend as "that guy").


Searching for early signs of Alzheimer's disease (March 2024).


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