As a progressive disease, Alzheimer's begins to change the brain at a microscopic level well before people with the disease begin to experience any symptoms, such as memory loss or language difficulties.

It's like slow, methodical brain damage
The brain is an extremely complex organ. The command centre for the rest of the body, the brain accomplishes its dizzying array of tasks through a system of communication networks made up of interconnected nerve cells, called neurons. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the brain, as well as cells that specialize in supporting and nourishing other cells.

Groups of nerve cells work together in the brain to perform special jobs. Some are involved in cognitive functions, such as thinking, learning and memory. Others help us see, hear, smell, or tell our muscles when to move - and the list goes on.

Scientists believe Alzheimer's disease prevents individual brain cells from doing their jobs in their specific groups. No one is certain yet where the trouble begins, but as the damage spreads, more and more cells lose their ability to do their jobs and, eventually, die.

Plaques and tangles - major causes of the damage
The brains of people with Alzheimer's disease have an unusually large number of plaques and tangles. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that build up in the spaces between nerve cells. Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau that build up inside cells.

Studies have shown that most people develop some plaques and tangles with age. In the brains of people with Alzheimer's, there tend to be a lot more, and they appear in a predictable pattern. Not surprisingly, the plaques and tangles begin to develop in the areas important to memory, and then spread to other regions of the brain.

Scientists are not sure of the exact role of plaques and tangles in Alzheimer's disease, though most experts believe that they likely block communication among nerve cells in some way, leading to a disruption of processes essential to cell survival.

As more and more nerve cells begin dying, problems like memory failure, personality changes, trouble carrying out daily activities and others symptoms of Alzheimer's disease become more serious.

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