... cells. The disease causes severe changes to occur in the brain. The disease moves slowly and begins with mild memory problems that increasingly get worse until the brain begins to shut down vital functions. Alzheimer's disease affects a person's ability to remember, think, and use language correctly. The causes for Alzheimer's are not yet entirely clear and there is no known cure. Sadly, many think that the early signs of Alzheimer's are merely signs of normal aging; therefore, the individuals go untreated. (2) Progressive mental deterioration has been recognized for many years. However, it wasn't until 1906, when a German physician, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, identified the abnormal brain cells that caused the symptoms when he performed an autopsy on a woman that had died after suffering years of memory loss. When he dissected her brain, he discovered coiled deposits around the nerve cells, called neuritic plaques. He also discovered twisted ...

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