Alzheimer’s Disease

As populations have aged, dementia has soared to become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia, accounts for most of these cases. Tens of billions of dollars have been spent on Alzheimer's research over the past several decades. But still, there is no cure. All attempts to halt the progression of the disease have failed. Now, many major drug companies have pulled out of research altogether. So why is Alzheimer's disease still such a medical mystery One of the signs of Alzheimer's in the brain is damage of connections and the loss of large numbers of neurons over time. It affects the hippocampus and its connected structures, making it harder to form new memories or learn new information, as damage spreads through the brain, the cortex becomes thinner and more memories are lost, although emotional responses can often remain. As the brain shrinks further, it slowly alters personality and behavior and eventually the ability to live and function independently.