• Question: how does alzheimer's develop in humans?

    Asked by nienie13 to Amy, Karen, Sarah, Vijay, Will on 19 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by magnesium, rhea, itsnaomi, itsteeyah, ethanpagemason.
    • Photo: Sarah Martin

      Sarah Martin answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Hi nienie13,

      Alzheimer’s is a disease where some of the protein in your brain unfolds from its usual shape and becomes sticky – it then sticks together and forms shapes called “plaques” which can been seen in brains of people with Alzheimer’s. These plaques stop the brain from transmitting messages properly, so affect what you can think about and what you can remember. However we don’t know yet what causes the protein to unfold in the first place – but lots of scientists are working on it to find out!

      Do you know someone with Alzheimer’s?

      Sarah

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