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gja1000 · 11-24-2008, 05:24 PM

Judy! I AM a nursing teacher!!! LOL! I also do research with persons with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers.

Many doctors won't "make" a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), because a TRUE diagnosis of AD can only be made by a brain biopsy. Of course, we can't do brain biopsies of brains (when the person is living) so doctors rule out everything else that could be causing the confusion. There are about 100 things that can mimic AD, from depression to vitamin deficiency to dehydration to medication side effects to hearing loss, etc etc.

Thus, many doctors make a diagnosis of "Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type" or just simply dementia. AD may be familial, meaning inherited. There is a type of early onset AD (early being in the 50's or 60's years of age) that is highly inherited. But familial AD is really very rare. Diana, that is probably what you saw in the women from your church. And yes, they most likely DID, at some level, remember each other when they met at church. We really don't KNOW what people with dementia remember, we only know what they CAN'T do or say. We don't know what they are thinking or feeling inside, because they can't tell us in the normal way with words. But you could see from their actions that they "remembered" each other, even if they couldn't interact in the usual way. After working with many many persons with AD, they do know much more than they can convey!

We really don't know what causes AD, it is probably a multifocal disease, caused or precipitated, by a variety of factors. That's why it is so hard to determine the cause, because it is multi-focal, and we all have very individual lives and experiences and are exposed to a variety of different environmental things.

There is a group of nuns who have donated their brains to AD research when they die. This research is very important because these nuns have all lived together in the same environment, eaten the same food, engaged in the same activities all their lives. We may actually get some clues from their gift to research. From their brains, we are learning that some ofthem with no AD symptoms, have brains that look like they should have AD symptoms. Why is that - we don't have a clue. All brains of persons with AD symptoms look pretty much the same - but why do some brains look like AD, but the person has no symptoms? It is a mystery.

There are many theories - use it or lose it - keep the brain stimulated via interactions, education, brain-stimulating exercises, etc. Some think it is related to physical activity - the more physically active, the less AD. One finding from the Nun study is that the nuns who had more sophisticated writing skills earlier in life - have brains that show signs of AD, but the nun had no symptoms. What does that mean? Go figure!

Now, I bet that is more than you wanted to know!!! LOL!!!

11-24-2008, 05:24 PM	#8
gja1000 Donating 4WT Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Central Texas Posts: 5,717	Judy! I AM a nursing teacher!!! LOL! I also do research with persons with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. Many doctors won't "make" a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), because a TRUE diagnosis of AD can only be made by a brain biopsy. Of course, we can't do brain biopsies of brains (when the person is living) so doctors rule out everything else that could be causing the confusion. There are about 100 things that can mimic AD, from depression to vitamin deficiency to dehydration to medication side effects to hearing loss, etc etc. Thus, many doctors make a diagnosis of "Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type" or just simply dementia. AD may be familial, meaning inherited. There is a type of early onset AD (early being in the 50's or 60's years of age) that is highly inherited. But familial AD is really very rare. Diana, that is probably what you saw in the women from your church. And yes, they most likely DID, at some level, remember each other when they met at church. We really don't KNOW what people with dementia remember, we only know what they CAN'T do or say. We don't know what they are thinking or feeling inside, because they can't tell us in the normal way with words. But you could see from their actions that they "remembered" each other, even if they couldn't interact in the usual way. After working with many many persons with AD, they do know much more than they can convey! We really don't know what causes AD, it is probably a multifocal disease, caused or precipitated, by a variety of factors. That's why it is so hard to determine the cause, because it is multi-focal, and we all have very individual lives and experiences and are exposed to a variety of different environmental things. There is a group of nuns who have donated their brains to AD research when they die. This research is very important because these nuns have all lived together in the same environment, eaten the same food, engaged in the same activities all their lives. We may actually get some clues from their gift to research. From their brains, we are learning that some ofthem with no AD symptoms, have brains that look like they should have AD symptoms. Why is that - we don't have a clue. All brains of persons with AD symptoms look pretty much the same - but why do some brains look like AD, but the person has no symptoms? It is a mystery. There are many theories - use it or lose it - keep the brain stimulated via interactions, education, brain-stimulating exercises, etc. Some think it is related to physical activity - the more physically active, the less AD. One finding from the Nun study is that the nuns who had more sophisticated writing skills earlier in life - have brains that show signs of AD, but the nun had no symptoms. What does that mean? Go figure! Now, I bet that is more than you wanted to know!!! LOL!!! __________________ Gayle