Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older people, in accordance with Medline Plus, the US National Library of Medicine.
“Alzheimer’s starts slowly. It first affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Besides, People with the disease may have difficulty remembering things that happened recently or the names of people they know.explains the library.
However, recently, research by Harvard experts has brought hope to people who have a family history of this disease. The study noted that Alzheimer’s could be detected many years before the onset of cognitive damage.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, associated with Harvard Medical School, showed that early accumulation of tau and amyloid-β proteins can disrupt brain connectivity many years before signs of impairment are seen, like memory loss.
“Nevertheless, we didn’t know how the wiring in the brain responds to the buildup of these proteins very early in the disease process, even before the symptoms”, explained Yakeel Quiroz, main author of the article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Notably researchers conducted a study with members of a Colombian family, which showed that 1,500 members carry an autosomal dominant mutation (known as Presenilin-1 E280A), Therefore, they estimate that these carriers develop early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, with almost 100% certainty, with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at an average age of 45 years and dementia at 51.
“We now know that a lot is going on in the brains of people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, even before signs of memory decline appear. so we hope that findings like these can improve our understanding of preclinical AD and help improve the selection of those who would benefit most from participating in clinical trials”, said Quiroz, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Familial Dementia Neuroimaging Laboratory and the Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program.
The stages of Alzheimer’s and how to fight it
According to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education and research, there are five stages associated with Alzheimer’s disease:
1. Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease: this stage of the disease can last for years, possibly even decades.
2. Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease: In this phase, people have slight changes in their memory and thinking ability. People with mild cognitive impairment may have memory lapses when it comes to information that is usually easy to remember, such as conversations, recent events, or appointments.
3. Mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: people may experience the following: loss of memory of recent events; difficulty solving problems, complex tasks, and sound judgments; personality changes; difficulty organizing and expressing thoughts or getting lost or misplacing belongings.
4. Moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: people may show increasingly poor judgment and deepening confusion; experience even greater memory loss; need help with some daily activities; show significant changes in their personality and behavior.
5. Severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: in the late stage of severe dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, people generally lose the ability to communicate coherently; require daily assistance with personal care; experience a decline in physical abilities.
However, it should be noted that no treatment can stop the disease, but some drugs can help prevent symptoms from getting worse for a limited time.
In addition, the non-profit entity explained that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be prevented, but a number of lifestyle risk factors can be modified for those who have this pathology, such as: exercising, eating a diet of fresh products, healthy oils and foods low in saturated fats, and quitting smoking.