What we know and want to know about aging are the questions my peers and I have pondered over for ages. This passed weeks topic about the aging brain and Alzheimer’s disease raised some interesting questions and controversy. Insulin is an underlying factor causing diabetes, but is it the culprit causing dementia, and ultimately the debilitating disease we all know as Alzheimer’s? Some research supports this statement but also has confounding variables that can lead to other causes. It has long believed that the presence of Amyloid-Beta plaques was another cause of dementia, and a proper way to diagnose Alzheimer s disease. So what are we to believe? Is dementia a normal part of aging or is it being caused by something else?
An Alzheimer’s brain shows evident insult and degeneration of the tissue in the frontal lobe. It has long been believed that an over abundance of Amyloid-Beta causes damage to the neural network of the brain. AB is naturally produced in the brain, but in high amounts can cause toxicity and stress on neurons. If the substance isn’t recycled as planned, its most likely going to interfere with neural connections. The AB plaques seem to cause a breakdown of the architecturally intricate frontal lobe. The lead up to these events makes think about what we are doing with our bodies to cause these things. Does it come down to what we eat and how we exercise, or are we supposed to expect Alzheimer’s coming our way someday? I believe our generation will harvest great knowledge and advancements in science to solidify why and how diseases work. We are exposed to a plethora of disease and should focus on prevention and not finding a specific “cure” for something we are unclear about.
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What's breaking down the brain?
