Psychology:
Chapter 2 Project

Jason Houston
Ivy Tech
Psychology 101/Professor Dunleavy
October 5, 2014

Psychology: Chapter 2 Project
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and the disease typically accounts for around sixty to eighty percent of dementia cases (“What is Alzheimer’s?,” 2014). Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable disease that effects the brain and brain cells. The majority of the people effected by Alzheimer’s disease are typically over the age of sixty five. Age is not the only factor to getting Alzheimer’s disease, but a few other causes will be described later in the paper. Alzheimer’s disease is a little over a century old now, as it was first discovered in the year 1906. Although it was discovered in 1906, it did not gain its official name until 1910. The disease is named after the discoverer, Alois Alzheimer. Now let’s discuss some other causes, effects, and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are not yet fully understood by scientist, but it has become clearer over the years. Multiple scientists over the years believe that Alzheimer’s disease results from a combination of many different factors. A few of these factors are age, genetics, lifestyle, and the degeneration of brain cells. Although these causes are not one hundred percent clear, it is clear that Alzheimer’s disease has a huge effect on the brain. The main cause out of these few factors is due to degeneration of brain cells. This disease damages and kills thousands of brain cells, causing the brain to begin to shrink. These dead and damaged brain cells can no longer do there function which causes changes or deterioration in certain areas of the brain that control thinking, communication, and behavior (“Causes,” 2013). Another thing that many scientist have noticed over the years is that as Alzheimer’s progresses the brain