Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes gradual loss of memory as well as the loss of language skills, and eventually the inability to care for oneself. This disease affects about 10 percent of the American population over the age of 45, and approximately 45 percent of America’s population over 85 may have the disease. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychologist, discovered the disease in 1906. Until recently, scientists hypothesized that Alzheimer’s disease only affected young …showed first 75 words of 469 total…

…showed last 75 words of 469 total…messages back and forth between nerve cells. This also causes symptoms of the disease. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the level of neurotransmitter in the brain may be increased by drugs that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. As researchers learn more about the protein amyloid and the degradation of brain cells, the possibility of finding a cure is highly probable.