This 4-minute captioned video shows the intricate mechanisms involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease in the brain.
Credit: http://www.nia.nih.govThe human brain is a remarkable organ. Complex chemical and electrical processes take place within our brains that let us speak, move, see, remember, feel emotions and make decisions. Inside a normal healthy brain, billions of cells called neurons constantly communicate with one another.They receive messages from each other as electrical charges travel down the axon to the end of the neuron. The electrical charges release chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The transmitters move across microscopic gaps, or synapses, between neurons. They bind to receptor sites on the dendrites of the next neuron.This cellular circuitry enables communication within the brain. Healthy neurotransmission is important for the brain to function well. Alzheimer's disease disrupts this intricate interplay. By compromising the ability of neurons to communicate with one another, the disease over time destroys memory and thinking skills. Scientific research has revealed some of the brain changes that take place in Alzheimer's disease.
