What Does A Brain With Alzheimer'S Look Like

Alzheimer's not only causes drastic outward changes in behavior, personality and cognitive processing, but it also causes changes we can't see--those that alter the very look of the brain. A brain stricken by the disease has been found to have a number of differences from the healthy brain--differences that become more prevalent, striking and widespread as the disease progresses.

Size

The Alzheimer's brain is visibly smaller than the healthy, 3-lb. brain. Most of the shrinkage occurs in the outer portion of the brain--the cerebral cortex. When Dr. Alois Alzheimer first reported the presence of this peculiar disease, he noted that withering gray matter surrounding the brain was a predominant characteristic.

Ventricles

The ventricles are fluid-filled spaces in the brain. These spaces grow bigger, creating more of a Swiss-cheese look when you view illustrations depicting an affected brain vs. a healthy one. It's estimated that the Alzheimer's brain has at least 10 times more cleavages than its healthy counterpart.

Plaques

For years, scientists have believed that abnormalities, called amyloid plaques, are precursors of the disease. These plaques may be found in unaffected brains of both the young and old, but in the Alzheimer's brain, they can be prevalent. In addition, these plaques are the thread that binds the brains of those with Alzheimer's. If you look at a picture of the Alzheimer's brain, the plaques appear like bumpy, oval-shaped clumps outside of the brain cells.

Tangles

Another well-known marker of the disease is a second abnormality, neurofibrillary tangles. Again, these tangles may be found in healthy brains, but they are always present in the brains of those with Alzheimer's. This feature is found inside of the brain cells, and resembles twisted fibers.

Stages

The look of the brain changes as the disease progresses. With these visible brain changes come increasingly alarming symptoms. The first changes to the brain occur in the entorhinal cortex, which is responsible for the creation of new memories and the ability to remember old ones. As the disease progresses, the hippocampus responsible for complex memories--the brain's collective history, if you will--shrinks in size. In the final stage, the top of the brain, or neocortex, is impacted. Since it's responsible for controlling all behavioral and bodily functions, everything from the ability to speak, eat or hold up your head is disrupted.

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