• Question: Why can't brain cells that have been damaged by Alzheiemer's be repaired?

    Asked by jnmxx96 to Ben, James, Jen, Michael, Susanna on 14 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Michael Craig

      Michael Craig answered on 14 Mar 2013:

      That’s a good question. We’re not sure why or how people get Alzheimer’s yet. We do know that when people get diagnosed with the disease they often already have a large amount of damage to the cells in the brain. It is only when damage occurs in places like the medial temporal lobe (which is important in memory) that we see symptoms (e.g. people struggling to remember new information or remember things from their past). So when someone gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the damage is often already too far gone in some cells. The skin and the liver are two organs which are brilliant at repairing damage and growing new cells but unfortunately the brain is not able to repair the damage caused by Alzheimer’s. This may be due to the way we have evolved, or just that the brain is so complex that it would be very difficult to repair cells. The best we can do at the moment is try and slow down the disease so people have a better quality of life. This is why it is so important that we try and find a way to either prevent people from getting Alzheimer’s disease or, find a way to diagnose it very very early before people are showing any symptoms. This would give us the maximum amount of time to try and help people.

      I hope that helps. Let me know if I can help any more.

      Michael

    • Photo: Jen Todd Jones

      Jen Todd Jones answered on 15 Mar 2013:

      Hi jnmxx

      Mike has a great answer, and he works with Alzheimers research so he’d know! I think the most important part to remember is that it’s likely because of the nature of our bodies as humans. After all we are animals and all animals reproduce to pass on their genes before they die, it is the nature of our bodies to stop working after a time. As human being we are living longer than we have ever lived before, with medicine and technology helping increase our life-span. But this is unnatural for the body and eventually the cells have lived too long and have too many problems to survive. I think if we could work out how to stop this happening or reverse it we would certainly live far longer, but the question is, would you want to?

      Jen

Comments

  • Photo: jnmxx96

    jnmxx96 commented on :

    Is there currently an medication that effectively slows down the disease?

  • Photo: Jen

    Jen commented on :

    Hi jnmxx

    I’m not sure about a medication that slows or treats it, from what I know about dementia it’s more about prevention – you try to stop or slow the problem before it starts. You can help delay dementia and Alzheimers by eating a good diet, exercising and even exercising your brain! I remember an experimental study I read once that found the best thing the elderly could do to stop their brains from slowing down or from dementia setting in was to dance! The concentration and memory needed to remember the steps worked the brain, while the movement worked their body keeping the brain full of oxygen.

    Jen