What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer's Disease is characterized by cortical shrinkage, macroscopic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and progressive severe dementia.

To break those down, cortical shrinkage, or neurodegeneration, is the brain physically getting smaller.

The macroscopic plaques are a buildup of messed up proteins hanging out in the in between space of the neurons.

Similarly, the neurofibrillary tangles are tau proteins, a protein that helps with the structural integrity of your neurons, that are hyperphosphorylated, which means that a lot of extra P atoms are attached to the protein. This causes them to detach from the things that help with the structure of the neuron and instead, form the neurofibrillary tangles which are neurotoxic aggregates, basically, they build up in the brain and cause damage.

The last definitive characteristic of Alzheimer's disease is progressive severe dementia. This simply means that there is badly impaired memory that gets worse over time.

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, in 2020, there were over 55 million people affected by dementia, to include Alzheimer’s. By 2030, this number is projected to hit 78 million, and then, in 2050, it is projected to climb to 139 million.

With numbers growing exponentially, almost doubling every 20 years, there is a newfound urgency to find ways to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease. Meters for Minds aims to make a splash in this space, with a focus on advocating for a lifestyle that actively prevents Alzheimer’s disease.