1. Pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Risk factors:
1. Advancing age
2. Neurotransmitter
deficiencies
Causes: 3. Repeated head trauma
Unknown 4. Apolipoprotein Epsilon
4 genotype
Amyloid Hypothesis Vascular Hypothesis Glutamatergic Cholinergic Hypothesis
Hypothesis
Abnormal amyloid Loss of neurologic
Advancing aging and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
protein precursor neurons
vascular risk factor receptors undergo sustained
cleavage
low level activation of the brain
Loss of Acetylcholine
Brain hypoperfusion
Low level of (Ach)
Single strands of
neurotransmission
insoluble B-amyloid
is released in the Neuroglial energy
extracellular space crisis Chronic calcium influx within the
and accumulates. neuron that interferes with
normal signal transduction
Mild Cognitive
Forms plaques Impairment
Hyperphosporylation
of tau proteins
Neurodegeneration
Neurofibrillary tangles
formation
Clinical Manifestations of
Alzheimer’s Disease