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Common Testing For Alzheimer’s Disease

Friday, September 25th, 2009

 

Many people are not aware of the fact that Alzheimer’s disease does not show up on some type of blood test or MRI. As a matter of fact, testing for Alzheimer’s disease usually involves only physical tests that are meant to rule out other causes for a patient’s symptoms, such as Parkinson’s disease, a stroke or a brain tumor. The remainder of any testing for Alzheimer’s disease is usually just a series of psychological tests meant to measure a person’s mental abilities and faculties.

Physical Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Some patients may get an MRI or PET scan to rule out the possibility of brain injury, and of course blood is almost always taken for any medical test to see about chemical imbalances, hormone imbalances, cancers, and things such as these. But for the most part, testing for Alzheimer’s disease involves a series of probing questions that will enable the doctor to assess a patient’s mental state.

Cognitive Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Since Alzheimer’s is a disease of the mind that mostly affects memory and one’s problem-solving abilities, doctors find it useful to question a patient in order to assess his or her mental state.

The patient may be asked about what day of the week it is, the month and date. They may be asked the name of the current President of the United States. They may be asked if they know where they are and what they are doing there. This will tell the physician their level of awareness of their surroundings.

Testing for Alzheimer’s disease also includes assessing a patient’s memory. They will be asked about their personal history, when they were married, how many children they have, the names of their spouse and children, and so on. An inability to recall such information is a very strong indicator for Alzheimer’s.

There may be other simple questions or problems presented as part of testing for Alzheimer’s disease. For example, the patient may be requested to spell a short word backwards, or to do a simple math equation in their head.

All of these questions are considered in conjunction with any other symptoms that are reported to the doctor, such as changes in mood or behavior, increased irritability, paranoid thoughts or actions such as accusing persons of stealing, and things such as these. When bringing in a loved one for testing for Alzheimer’s disease, be prepared to talk to the doctor openly and honestly about such circumstances so that the correct.

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Could it be Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

 

Many people are forgetful at times; this is just a common byproduct of being imperfect and of living in very stressful times. However, if you’re very forgetful of things that are really rather routine, you may be wondering if you are exhibiting the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, or if someone you know is.

Forgetfulness is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia or brain malfunction that typically affects older persons. But how do you know if you really are exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer’s or if you’re just stressed and perhaps absentminded?

A good way to tell the difference between normal forgetfulness and symptoms of Alzheimer’s is to understand how memory works. The more you repeat something and the longer you know a certain piece of information, the more it’s going to be permanently stored in your brain. It takes at least 8 seconds of concentration on any bit of information to move it from short-term memory to long-term. This is why it’s so easy to forget where you put your keys – you only think about where you’ve dropped them for half a second, so that information is not in long-term memory storage.

We do most things every day because they’re in our long-term memory storage. Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s include forgetting to do things or forgetting how to relate to things that should be in that long-term storage. You know how to wash your hair because you’ve been doing it for so long that it’s stored in your memory permanently, and you know what shampoo is because you’ve been using it for so long that its use is in that memory storage as well.

Forgetting where you put your car keys is normal because it’s not in long-term memory storage. However, symptoms of Alzheimer’s might mean forgetting what car keys are used for. Forgetting to buy shampoo at the store happens because you didn’t think about it long enough to put that chore into long-term memory storage, but recognizing what a bottle of shampoo is should be there. If you look at a bottle of shampoo and have no idea what it is, that is perhaps a symptom of Alzheimer’s.

Of course, if you suspect that you or someone you know is showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s, you should make an appointment with a doctor to be tested and find out for sure, and to begin treatment right away.

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Some Ways to Delay the Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

 

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative and debilitating condition that unfortunately has no cure as of yet. While doctors and scientists work on finding that elusive cure, they are recognizing ways that one can delay the effects of Alzheimer’s disease at least for some time.

It was recently reported by the Associated Press that if you exercise your brain you may be able to put off the effects of Alzheimer’s. This may be because as you stay mentally active, the brain continues to build neurons and renew itself. Alzheimer’s is often thought to be caused by the breakdown of neurons and nerve cells in the brain. By building new ones, you are offsetting the effects of Alzheimer’s by at least a small amount.

Challenging your brain may include doing any type of mental exercise that challenges you. This could include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, learning a foreign language, taking a class of any type, learning a new card game, or anything else that you find new and exciting.

The effects of Alzheimer’s may also be delayed or offset by protecting your social functions as well. Being around other people and having healthy relationships also protect your brain functions and neurons. It’s important then to stay active and socially connected, especially as you age. If you find that your family is no longer close, take the initiative to join a book club, a church, a volunteer organization, or any type of social setting that will keep you connected with people. By keeping yourself tied with other persons on a regular basis you can help keep the effects of Alzheimer’s from taking over or setting in too early.

Keeping stress and anxiety at bay also seems to help keep your brain healthy as well. Excessive stress causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to work overtime, both of which are very bad for your circulatory system. The brain needs fresh blood and oxygen just as much as any other part of the body to delay the effects of Alzheimer’s.

You obviously cannot stop Alzheimer’s disease completely; however, there are steps you can do to keep yourself mentally healthy and socially active in order to fend off the disease as long as possible, and to make it more manageable if you do contract it. Work hard to keep yourself healthy and you’ll experience the benefits of long-term health when it comes to the effects of Alzheimer’s.

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