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, glutamic acid, 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.
- Glutamic acid is one of the various other neurotransmitters in the brain, playing significant role in the functionality of memory and cognition.
- Glutamic acid produced in the brain binds to receptors called NMDA receptors. This binding of glutamic acid with the NMDA receptors lead to stimulation of these receptors, which promotes learning and memory.
- Persistent activation of these NMDA receptors by glutamate binding can progressively lead to increased activation and progressive destruction of nervous tissues in the brain, contributing to the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s, such as, reduced cognition and progressive memory loss.
