Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience

The Center for Neuroscience at Rutgers University – Newark publishes a wonderful newsletter, Memory Loss and the Brain. In the Winter 2010 issue, one of the articles is on Parkinson’s disease. Although Parkinson’s is known as a movement disorder which affects how they walk  — slowly with a stiff gait — as well as possibly producing tremors, it also affects memory, learning, and behavior. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease have similarities such as:

• Both develop slowly over many years
• Both tend to develop later in life
• Both are currently incurable
• Both affect the brain

As a neurological disorder, Parkinson’s disease affects the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. The neurons that make dopamine, a chemical that helps your body coordinate movements, die. As a neurotransmitter, dopamine is essential for the central nervous system to function. Medications are prescribed that increase the amount and effectiveness of dopamine in the brain. However, medications can cause serious cognitive side effects and even possibly addictions such as gambling and overeating.

Unlike Parkinson’s, the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not as specific. It may be a composite of causes. Medications are available as mentioned in a previous post, but they only work temporarily to slow down the disease and they don’t address the underlying causes. It is difficult to develop effective treatments when the exact cause is not known.

In both cases, lifestyle choice might make a difference. There is growing evidence that aerobic exercise improves memory and various other brain functions … even modest exercise. Click here to see an amazing video of a Parkinson’s patient riding the bicycle. Besides exercise, a healthy diet — one low in “lousy” cholesterol (LDL) and high in fruits, vegetables, and fatty fish — can help possibly prevent dementia. Mental activities that you enjoy and challenge you is possibly another preventive.

We all hope that cures for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease will be found. In the meantime, we can only do what the evidence tells us might possibly help.

Last month a friend gave me an issue of  Woman’s World magazine. In it was a tiny article, Ward off Alzheimer’s with the new “Memory” Pill! As the author of this Alzheimer’s disease blog, that certainly caught my attention. It’s called phosphatidyl serine (PS) or more commonly spelled as one word in the scientific community, phosphatidylserine. It says, “it’s a supplement proven to prevent age-related memory loss and help your brain function as if it were 12 years younger!” Now, wouldn’t that catch your attention, too? Could we all use a memory booster?

Since it’s such a short article, let me share the rest of it.

PS helps restore the brain’s supply of acetycholine, a neurotransmitter that’s crucial for memory, reports Thom Lobe, M.D., of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. In one study, folks who took 100 mg., three times a day, scored 30% higher on memory tests after just 12 weeks! Your Rx: 200 mg. to 300 mg. daily in supplement form (find it in health-food stores). Important: Ask your doctor before taking this or any supplement, especially if you also take an anticoagulant drug.

If phosphatidylserine is such an impressive supplement, shouldn’t all Alzheimer’s patients be on it? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Several studies involving phosphatidylserine indicate a benefit — improved cognitive abilities and behaviors. However, improvements in memory lasted only a few months and were seen in people with the least severe symptoms.” They go on to say that earlier studies were based on brain cells of cows. However, because of concerns about mad cow disease, most manufacturers now produce phosphatidylserine supplements from soy or cabbage derivatives. So it’s not really known if the plant-based supplements are equally effective.

WebMD adds that phosphatidylserine is a chemical that the body can make, but it gets most of what it needs from foods. Side effects include insomnia and upset stomach for doses over 300 mg. They warn that there could be drug interactions. Click here for more information and click on Interactions.

So the old adage, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is, appears to be in effect here. Have you ever taken phosphatidylserine? What is your opinion?

In my previous post, I talked about using the Alzheimer’s Association as our benchmark for determining the stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In Stage 1 there is no evidence of Alzheimer’s disease as determined by a medical interview.

Stage 2 of Alzheimer’s disease shows very mild cognitive decline. At this point, it could be just the normal “senior moments” or it could be the earliest sign of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association:

Individuals may feel as if they have memory loss and lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a medical examination or apparent to friends, family or co-workers.

Personally, it seems as though most of my conversations with my senior friends which lasts longer than a few minutes are sporadically sprinkled with “senior moments.” As far as I know, these are not friends that have any particular problems like coping with grief, abuse and addiction, anxiety disorders, or sleep problems that could affect their memory.

One day my husband and I were taking a walk in the neighborhood and it took us half the length of the walk to remember the the names of a family that used to live in our cul-de-sac. That family has since moved into a bigger house down the street. The next time we took the same walk, we had forgotten their names again and this time we never did come up with all of the names. Generally, between the two of us, we do manage to come up with all of their names. Thank goodness for a neighborhood directory. Perhaps we won’t forget on the next walk. We laugh about it, but at the same time, that thought of Alzheimer’s disease always crosses my mind.

How about you? If you’re in that situation, does Alzheimer’s disease ever cross your mind?

Depending on the source, some say there are seven (7) stages of Alzheimer’s disease while others say there are three (3). The Alzheimer’s Association says that there are seven (7) stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I will cover each stage of Alzheimer’s in separate posts.

Stage 1, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, is No Impairment (normal function). No evidence is apparent to a health care professional during a medical interview. In my post on What is Alzheimer’s Disease? I mentioned three ways that doctors determine how a diagnosis is made –

1. Lab tests
2. Neuropsychological testing (extensive assessment of thinking and memory skills)
3. Brain scans

Apparently, Stage 1 only involves an interview since there is no evidence or reason for more extensive testing at this point. So why a Stage 1? If Stage 1 is normal functioning with no impairment, then it seems to me in order to determine a Stage 1, it is can only be determined AFTER a person has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. There is no abnormality in Stage 1. So after a person has been diagnosed, then we can go back and say this person with Alzheimer’s was in Stage 1.

On the other hand, it might be possible to detect a Stage 1 if you lived with someone or you know someone very well … a loved one whom you can detect mild memory loss or mild cognitive impairment or other signs and symptoms such as personality changes, all of which may indicate a future Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Or, if you personally feel that something is not right with your memory,  then you may possibly be in Stage 1 of Alzheimer’s disease, but Stage 1 means that you are still functioning normally. At this point, though, from a medical standpoint, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is not possible. Other problems such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, sleep problems, depression, or medications could also point to Alzheimer’s disease, but that would be conjecture at this time.

If you detect dementia, though, and if you are a future caregiver, you need to remember to most importantly take care of yourself. But it also gives you time to get things in order and prepare for the future. Through our continuous journey, I hope we can learn what to expect (even though each case is unique) and follow the Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”

How is dementia different from Alzheimer’s disease? According to ezinearticles.com author Molly Shomer, she says that the term dementia seems to be preferred over Alzheimer’s disease possibly because of the less frightening connotation and that many are using the word interchangeably, but that is not correct. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are different.

Shomer says dementia is a symptom, just as pain is a symptom for something causing the pain. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, memory loss by itself does not mean you have dementia. People with dementia have serious problems with two or more brain functions, such as memory and language. Many different diseases can cause dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. Drugs are available to treat some of these diseases. For a list of other dementias from the Fischer Center for Alzheimer’s Foundation, click here.

So the actual cause of dementia could be one of a myriad of things where cognitive abilities have been impaired. With dementia, it could simply be a temporary thing if the cause is treated. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s is an actual disease and the disease causes dementia. Many different diseases can cause dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. Drugs are available to treat some of these diseases.

What we know about Alzheimer’s disease today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, is that:

1. Alzheimer’s is a progressive and fatal brain disease.
2. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.
3. Alzheimer’s has no current cure.

In our next post next week, we will specifically look at how Alzheimer’s disease is defined. In the meantime, challenge your brain to something new as was discussed here.