What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun
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0:07 - 0:08Every four seconds,
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0:08 - 0:10someone is diagnosed with
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0:10 - 0:12Alzheimer's disease.
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0:12 - 0:14It's the most common cause of dementia,
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0:14 - 0:17affecting over 40 million people worldwide,
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0:17 - 0:19and yet finding a cure is something that still
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0:19 - 0:22eludes researchers today.
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0:22 - 0:25Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist,
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0:25 - 0:28first described the symptoms in 1901
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0:28 - 0:30when he noticed that a particular hospital patient
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0:30 - 0:32had some peculiar problems,
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0:32 - 0:34including difficulty sleeping,
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0:34 - 0:37disturbed memory, drastic mood changes,
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0:37 - 0:40and increasing confusion.
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0:40 - 0:42When the patient passed away,
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0:42 - 0:44Alzheimer was able to do an autopsy
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0:44 - 0:46and test his idea that perhaps
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0:46 - 0:48her symptoms were caused by irregularities
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0:48 - 0:50in the brain's structure.
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0:50 - 0:52What he found beneath the microscope
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0:52 - 0:55were visible differences in brain tissue
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0:55 - 0:57in the form of misfolded proteins
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0:57 - 0:58called plaques,
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0:58 - 1:01and neurofibrillary tangles.
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1:01 - 1:03Those plaques and tangles work together
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1:03 - 1:05to break down the brain's structure.
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1:05 - 1:07Plaques arise when another protein
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1:07 - 1:10in the fatty membrane surrounding nerve cells
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1:10 - 1:12gets sliced up by a particular enzyme,
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1:12 - 1:15resulting in beta-amyloid proteins,
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1:15 - 1:17which are sticky and have a tendency
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1:17 - 1:18to clump together.
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1:18 - 1:20That clumping is what forms the things
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1:20 - 1:23we know as plaques.
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1:23 - 1:24These clumps block signaling
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1:24 - 1:26and, therefore, communication
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1:26 - 1:28between cells, and also seem to trigger
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1:28 - 1:31immune reactions that cause the destruction
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1:31 - 1:33of disabled nerve cells.
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1:33 - 1:36In Alzheimer's disease, neurofibrillary tangles
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1:36 - 1:39are built from a protein known as tau.
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1:39 - 1:42The brain's nerve cells contain a network of tubes
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1:42 - 1:44that act like a highway for food molecules
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1:44 - 1:45among other things.
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1:45 - 1:48Usually, the tau protein ensures that these tubes
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1:48 - 1:50are straight, allowing molecules
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1:50 - 1:52to pass through freely.
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1:52 - 1:54But in Alzheimer's disease,
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1:54 - 1:57the protein collapses into twisted strands or tangles,
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1:57 - 1:59making the tubes disintegrate,
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1:59 - 2:01obstructing nutrients from reaching the nerve cell
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2:01 - 2:04and leading to cell death.
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2:04 - 2:06The destructive pairing of plaques and tangles
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2:06 - 2:09starts in a region called the hippocampus,
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2:09 - 2:11which is responsible for forming memories.
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2:11 - 2:13That's why short-term memory loss
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2:13 - 2:16is usually the first symptom of Alzheimer's.
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2:16 - 2:17The proteins then progressively invade
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2:17 - 2:19other parts of the brain,
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2:19 - 2:21creating unique changes that signal
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2:21 - 2:23various stages of the disease.
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2:23 - 2:25At the front of the brain,
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2:25 - 2:28the proteins destroy the ability to process logical thoughts.
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2:28 - 2:31Next, they shift to the region that controls emotions,
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2:31 - 2:34resulting in erratic mood changes.
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2:34 - 2:35At the top of the brain,
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2:35 - 2:37they cause paranoia and hallucinations,
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2:37 - 2:39and once they reach the brain's rear,
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2:39 - 2:41the plaques and tangles work together
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2:41 - 2:44to erase the mind's deepest memories.
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2:44 - 2:45Eventually the control centers governing
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2:45 - 2:48heart rate and breathing are overpowered as well
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2:48 - 2:50resulting in death.
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2:50 - 2:52The immensely destructive nature of this disease
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2:52 - 2:55has inspired many researchers to look for a cure
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2:55 - 2:59but currently they're focused on slowing its progression.
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2:59 - 3:00One temporary treatment
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3:00 - 3:03helps reduce the break down of acetylcholine,
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3:03 - 3:05an important chemical messenger in the brain
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3:05 - 3:08which is decreased in Alzheimer's patients
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3:08 - 3:11due to the death of the nerve cells that make it.
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3:11 - 3:13Another possible solution is a vaccine
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3:13 - 3:16that trains the body's immune system to attack
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3:16 - 3:19beta-amyloid plaques before they can form clumps.
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3:19 - 3:22But we still need to find an actual cure.
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3:22 - 3:24Alzheimer's disease was discovered
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3:24 - 3:25more than a century ago,
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3:25 - 3:28and yet still it is not well understood.
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3:28 - 3:30Perhaps one day we'll grasp
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3:30 - 3:33the exact mechanisms at work behind this threat
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3:33 - 3:35and a solution will be unearthed.
- Title:
- What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun
- Description:
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-alzheimer-s-disease-ivan-seah-yu-jun
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting over 40 million people worldwide. And though it was discovered over a century ago, scientists are still grappling for a cure. Ivan Seah Yu Jun describes how Alzheimer's affects the brain, shedding light on the different phases of this complicated, destructive disease.
Lesson by Ivan Seah Yu Jun, animation by STK Films.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:50
Jenny Zurawell edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Jenny Zurawell edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Jenny Zurawell approved English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo accepted English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for What is Alzheimer's disease? - Ivan Seah Yu Jun |