What is Alzheimer’s disease and how is it different from normal aging?
Alzheimer’s disease is an abnormal loss of function from certain areas of the brain that progressively worsens. The definite diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can only be made in an autopsy by pathologists trained to find certain abnormal structures in the patient’s brain. In normal aging, some mild and progressive memory loss and minor deficits in other types of brain function, such as intellectual response time slowing, can occur. If these losses do not affect a person’s level of personal and social function, then they are not considered abnormal. However, in Alzheimer’s disease, a distinct pattern of dysfunction arises, which involves short-term memory loss, as well as language and visuospatial deficits and leads to loss of personal and social function. Alzheimer’s disease patients eventually cannot perform Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) or Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADLs).
