Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects the nervous system of an individual, rendering the patient useless in terms of taking care of themselves or even remembering things. While the disease does not directly kill a person, it makes the patient susceptible to different ailments that may result in death. Alzheimer's disease starts with mild forgetfulness, which worsens till some mental faculties linked to intelligence and personality, are permanently destroyed.

While there are different treatments used to treat the Alzheimer's' disease, at the moment there is no permanent cure, but the Alzheimer's disease and research center is working closely with concerned authorities and experts in the health care field to ensure that a permanent cure is found. The treatment that is available at the moment is meant to delay the onset of the condition's symptoms, or help to counterbalance dementia and delusions that may occur in later stages of the disease.

Alzheimer's disease research center also propose that treatments for the disease are equally under study and investigation for possible efficacy. When the baby boomers get to the age at which they are susceptible to Alzheimer's, it becomes a very huge public concern; hence it is not something that the ADRC should wait to study. ADRC anticipates its occurrence and always endeavor to find ways of preventing it. If not, with the thousands and thousands of more people experiencing dementia and cognitive impairment, it can be quite a challenging and enormous health care concern. ADRC therefore studies the continuum of cognitive changes developing when people age, among other things.

Other functions of the Alzheimer's disease research center is to look for ways of predicting the occurrence of the disease, of course bettering the diagnostic techniques, pin-pointing high-risk individuals, and devising analytical tools that will aid in the pursuit for preventative treatments and the much awaited permanent cure. The US has over 30 Alzheimer's disease research centers, spread across the country and which are funded by the National Institute of Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

Note that the different research centers for AD have unique roles they play in fighting the disease, but they all work together when evaluating potential new medications and other treatments of the disease. The main goal of all ADRC's basic and clinical studies is to enhance patient care as well as function, and generally enhance the quality of life not only for the patient but also for the caregiver.

Alzheimer's Disease Research

Alzheimer's Disease Research
Alzheimer's disease is a fatal brain disorder named after the German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Dr Alzheimer was presented with a patient who was suffering from memory loss and difficulty speaking; before any diagnosis was made she died. With the permission of the family Dr. Alzheimer performed an autopsy on her brain and found a dramatic shrinkage and widespread fatty deposits in small blood vessels, dead and dying brain cells as well. He then published his finding and the disease was named after him

Since then there are several efforts being made to research the cause and sure behind Alzheimer's disease. Research is the only way to find a cure for Alzheimer's and to helping the millions already affected by this devastating disease, and those who are being affected each year. The disease is known to double each year

There is several Alzheimer's research centers setup all over the world. These clinics and researchers in the Centers have made major contributions to gain knowledge about the basic biology and clinical presentation of Alzheimer's disease. The goal of such research centers are to accelerate the discovery of new treatment and to make the effective treatment of Alzheimer's disease a reality.

These centers do use individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's disease for evaluation purposes. These centers then research the behavior of normal individuals, individuals with slight memory problems and individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

The research centers not only use the patients as subjects but they offer a lot of valuable insight into Alzheimer's disease, educate family members of the disease and delay and treat mild cases of memory loss and dementia.

Alzheimer's disease research clinics are focused on establishing the following,

Conduct research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

Identify the risk factor

Identify the biological process associated with the disease

Identify and determine brain changes before the actual symptoms show

Develop new and effective treatment

Prevention of the disease

Act as a local and national resource by providing research subjects, data, and materials to researchers in Alzheimer's disease and other brain related disease and abnormalities

Provide the state of the art resources to qualified clinicians and researchers, to assist them with the research process

Inform and educate professionals and the community regarding Alzheimer's disease

Provide and encourage families to cope with their loved ones suffering from Alzheimer's disease

Therefore it is important to fund the research that is carried out today in the hope that future generations might be spared of Alzheimer's disease or better yet that the disease can be cured.