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Alzheimer’s disease is a Neurodegenerative disease of the brain tissue that causes progressive and irreversible loss of mental functions including memory. It was first described by German physician Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915).

Leading cause of dementia in the elderly, it affects about 26 million people around the world and probably four times by 2050 . Usually diagnosed after the age of 65, the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease are often confused with the normal aspects of aging and other neurological diseases such as vascular dementia, which made it was under – diagnosed until the 1960s. It is now recognized as one of the most costly diseases in developed economies.

The diagnosis of the disease depends mainly on neuropsychological tests and the detection of cortical atrophy affecting primarily the medial temporal lobe including the hippocampus, areas important for memory. Early symptoms consist of loss of memory (amnesia) manifested initially by minor distractions that increase with the progression of the disease, while older memories are relatively preserved. Neurological subsequently extends to associative frontal cortex and temporo-parietal, resulting in more severe cognitive impairment (confusion, mood and emotion, executive functions and language) up loss of autonomic functions and death. The speed and progress of the disease vary from one individual to another making it difficult to accurate prognosis and life expectancy ranges from 3 to 8 years depending on patient age at diagnosis. The psychological changes induced by disease affecting the basic human qualities and for this reason Alzheimer’s is sometimes described as a disease in which victims suffer the loss of qualities that form the essence of human existence.