Alzheimer’s Disease: The Cholinergic Circuitry, Environmental Causative Factors and Treatment Options (Essay Sample)

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Cholinergic Circuitry, Environmental Causative Factors and Treatment Options
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Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is indicated by cognitive decline, memory problems and behavioral changes. It involves the aggregation of extracellular amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in neurons and dystrophic neurons. The causative factors of the disease are far from well understood and therapeutic treatments has suffered from both a lack of effective treatment measures itself and lack of proficient diagnostics. This results in a worsening of cognitive decline beyond repair before the disease is diagnosed. This paper addressed the impaired cholinergic circuity associated with cognitive decline, reviews the role of aluminum and diet in the disease’s progression and evaluates therapeutic treatment options available.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Cognitive decline, cholinergic system, causative factors, treatment
Alzheimer’s Disease: The Cholinergic Circuitry, Environmental Causative Factors and Treatment Options
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by memory problems, disruptions in cognitive thinking, behavioral changes, impairments in speech, and visuospatial problems (Schultz, Tredici, & Braak, 2004). A progressive decline in cognitive function in multiple cognitive domains is associated with major neurocognitive disorder or dementia as evidenced by the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In fact, it has been reported that 60% to 80% of all age-related cases of dementia are associated with AD in patients above the age of 65 (Plassman et al., 2007).