The document discusses Alzheimer's disease and its effects on the brain and nervous system. It begins by explaining that Alzheimer's initially destroys neurons in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, which are responsible for memory. It then impacts other brain regions like the cerebral cortex. The hippocampus shrinks as it is damaged, affecting memory formation. Scientists are working to develop treatments to stop or delay the progression of the disease and manage its symptoms.

1. Final project
Neurobiology refers to the study of the brain and its functions which are connected to
the nervous system. The spinal cord plays a great role in neurobiology as it is
connected to the brain and the nervous system.
THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
The parts of the nervous system that are active in my example
In the beginning stages, Alzheimer's disease destroys neurons, especially parts of the
brain that are connected to a person's memory which include the entorhinal cortex and
the hippocampus. Neurons transmit messages between different parts of the brain, and
from the brain to muscles and organs in the body and the hippocampus is responsible
for memory processing. The temporal lobes, limbic system and frontal lobes are also
affected.
It then begins to interfere with other parts of the brain such as the cerebral cortex which
is responsible for language, reasoning and social behaviour. The brain encounters toxic
changes such as abnormal build-ups of proteins that from amyloid plaques and tau
tangles. Healthy neurons begin to stop functioning, which decreases the probability of
then connecting with other neurons which ultimately result in them dying. This is fatal as
neurons are not known to regenerate which could pose a great threat as it will affect a
person's mental health.
With the hippocampus being affected which is responsible for forming memories, the
brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease will begin to shrink.
As a notion to help patients with Alzheimer's disease, scientists have tried their best to
search and develop a treatment to either stop or delay the disease as well as to treat its
symptoms. So much so that in June 2021 scientists of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) in the USA approved aducanumab (Aduhelm) for the treatment of
some cases of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists also advise for patients to follow a strict
diet, maintain good physical activity and undergo cognitive training to improve memory
retention.

2. Functions of the nervous system that are apparent and/or impaired in my
example.
− The hippocampus is a major function of the brain which is impaired. The
following are some of its functions:
− It is embedded deep into the temporal lobe.
− It plays a great role in learning and memory.
− It is a plastic and vulnerable structure that gets damaged by a variety of stimuli.
− Various research and studies have depicted that it affects a variety pf
neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Alzheimer's is also referred to as dementia. As it progressed many tasks become
difficult many and functions of the brain are impaired such as the executive function,
vision, language, emotion, behaviour and memory.
Executive function
Many patients will find it difficult to plant, organise and complete tasks as well as solving
problems. For example, they often forget how to drive or even how to tie their
shoelaces.
Vision
The temporal lobes match up what has been seen with memories of things a person
has seen before, such as people's faces. Damage to the temporal lobes will cause the
patient to have visual agnosia which entails problems with recognising objects and
faces.
Language
If the temporal lobes of a person are damaged it will result them in failing to understand
the meaning of words which will affect their communication.
Emotion & Behaviour
If the limbic system, which deals with emotions and the frontal lobes, which deals will
rational thoughts and judgements are affected by this disease, a person's behaviour and

3. emotions are negatively affected. For example, they could laugh instead of feeling sad
when talked about something which is genuinely heart-breaking.
Memory
The extent to which dementia affects memory is different for everyone. This makes it
difficult to know how dementia will affect any individual person, particularly during the
earlier stages of the condition.
Explain in detail the ways in which this course has allowed you to better analyse
the events and phenomena around you
This course has taught me about how the brain functions and how the nervous system
and the spinal cord are linked to the brain and how they each interact with each other. I
have gained knowledge that each part of the brain affects how we walk, talk, think,
behave, display emotions, and interact with other people. It motivated me to develop the
understanding of the different types of diseases which can be caused by damage to
certain parts of the brain. This course has also taught me how to manage my time
wisely as well as harbour patience when I felt that I didn’t understand some of the
content.