With the help of high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) may have found out the three fundamental issues surrounding Alzheimer's disease: where it starts, why it starts there and how it spreads.
The findings could improve early detection of the disease, when drugs may be most effective. The study was published in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, reports Science Daily.
Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer''s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
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"It has been known for years that Alzheimer's starts in a brain region known as the entorhinal cortex," said senior co-author Scott A. Small, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
"But this study is the first to show in living patients that it begins specifically in the lateral entorhinal cortex, or LEC," he said.
"The LEC is considered to be a gateway to the hippocampus, which plays a key role in the consolidation of long-term memory, among other functions. If the LEC is affected, other aspects of the hippocampus will also be affected," Small added.
The study also shows that, over the time, Alzheimer's spreads from the LEC directly to other areas of the cerebral cortex, in particular the parietal cortex, a brain region involved in various functions, including spatial orientation and navigation.
Source: IANS
"The LEC is considered to be a gateway to the hippocampus, which plays a key role in the consolidation of long-term memory, among other functions. If the LEC is affected, other aspects of the hippocampus will also be affected," Small added.
The study also shows that, over the time, Alzheimer's spreads from the LEC directly to other areas of the cerebral cortex, in particular the parietal cortex, a brain region involved in various functions, including spatial orientation and navigation.
Source: IANS
Brain Exercises to Improve Memory
An active brain can certainly help in improving memory by strengthening the connections between neural impulses in brain.
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 Undetected Nutrient Deficiencies: The Cause of Ill HealthMicronutrient and antioxidant deficiencies are most common and go unnoticed. They are the root cause of most lifestyle related diseases. | Advertisement
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Vitamin B12 - An Essential Vitamin
If you feel that the persistent or regular incidences of depression have got nothing to do with what you eat, think again. The reason behind low spirits can be due to insufficient levels vitamin B12.
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