Patient/caregiver was instructed upon pathophysiology of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as follows:
- A number of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, play a significant role in regulating various body functions like memory, mood, behavior, and body movements.
- These neurotransmitters in the brain have to be finely balanced to promote optimal body functions. Any disturbance in their regulation can lead to compromised memory, cognition, depression, anxiety, and altered muscle mechanics and body movements.
- Acetylcholine is one of the various other neurotransmitters in the brain, helping to promote memory and cognition, in addition to other functions.
- Acetylcholine synthesized and secreted in the brain is partly utilized by nerves called cholinergic nerves, for impulse transmission, helping for memory and cognition. The unutilized portion of this released acetylcholine is partly picked up by the nerves again, to be released during the next nerve impulse and is partly destroyed by an enzyme called cholinesterase.
- In individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, acetylcholine production and cholinergic nerve activity are progressively compromised.
- Reduced acetylcholine production in the brain and progressively increased destruction of cholinergic nerves contribute to the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s, such as, reduced cognition and progressive memory loss.
