Alzheimer’s disease
Understanding the leading cause of dementia
- Memory problems
- Thinking and reasoning difficulties
- Language problems
The leading cause of
dementia worldwide
Dementia is an overarching term that refers to a range of symptoms affecting cognitive abilities. Many types of dementia exist, each with their own distinct causes and characteristics. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a specific type of dementia characterised by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. It is the leading cause of dementia worldwide.
The symptoms can affect a person’s ability to interact socially or function at work and at home. There is currently no disease-modifying oral treatment that either delays or prevents its onset, nor halts or slows down its progression.
A safe, affordable and effective oral treatment that can halt or significantly delay disease progression is urgently needed.
What happens in the brain?
AD is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of two types of proteins inside and between brain cells. One protein is called amyloid, which forms plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, which forms tangles within brain cells.
Tau tangles are closely linked to the dementia seen in AD. They form inside brain cells when tau proteins misfold and begin to gather into a mass or whole, leading to brain cell death.
