What parts of the brain does Alzheimer's affect?
What parts of the brain does Alzheimer's affect?
Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating neurological disorder that we usually see affecting people aged 65 and older. There is no single area of the brain that Alzheimer’s is restricted to, but there are areas where Alzheimer’s disease typically begins. To understand this we must first understand the different parts of the brain, and what types of cognition those areas of the brain are responsible for.
The four lobes of the cerebral cortex
While our views and ideas of the brain change over time, currently there are four recognized “lobes’ in the brain. These lobes break down into even more segmented areas, but for the sake of simplicity, we’re going to take a generalized look at only the four lobes. These four separate lobes are the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and the occipital lobe. When different lobes of the brain are affected by Alzheimer’s we tend to see different symptoms.
The Frontal Lobe
The frontal lobe of the brain is located at the front of the brain. This part of the brain is among the last part of the brain to fully develop. It is usually believed that this is the part of the brain that helps to make us “human”. The frontal lobe of the brain is home to the key components of executive function such as planning, concentration, working memory, emotional regulation, and self-monitoring. Usually, higher-level thought processes are seen in the frontal lobe. When Alzheimer’s is seen in the frontal lobe we begin to see issues pertaining to intelligence, judgment, and behavior.
The Parietal lobe
The parietal lobe is located at the top and slightly to the rear of the brain. This part of the brain helps us to process sensory input and regulation. This includes the management of the senses such as sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing. Basically, the parietal lobe helps to inform us about our environment. Another important function the parietal lobe handles for us is speech. Language is regulated and processed by the parietal lobe. If an individual develops Alzheimer’s disease in the parietal lobe, that individual may being to have trouble with gestures and skilled movements, they may also begin to have a much harder time with reading and writing as those skills are partially governed by the parietal lobe as well.
The Temporal lobe
Sitting directly behind the hears is the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe helps to process certain aspects of feelings/emotions, audio information, and memory. The temporal lobe is the home of the hippocampus which helps us to take short-term memory and encode it into long-term memory. The temporal lobe is where most types of Alzheimer’s commonly begin. Alzheimer’s disease in the temporal lobe is what causes memory loss in most patients with the hippocampus being directly affected.
The Occipital Lobe
The occipital lobe is located at the very back of the brain. While it’s considered to be the smallest lobe of all four, its functions are indispensable. The occipital lobe helps us to process visual information and assigns value to visual information. When you look at a color and you know the name of that color, you can thank your occipital lobe for helping to process that information. While we don’t often see Alzheimer’s damage in the occipital lobe, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t occur. Damage to the occipital lobe can cause symptoms such as not being able to recognize items. It would be like seeing understanding the function of a toilet but not being able to recognize one when you see it.
Summary
Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that affects millions of people every year. This disease is considered a “whole brain” disease because it literally affects the entire brain. There are a few symptoms are considered common in those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but everyone that has the disease usually has different symptoms. Ultimately this disease kills millions every year and there is still no cure. That’s why we at Truebinding are doing our best to combat this disease through knowledge and technology. One day we hope that Alzheimer’s disease with be a thing of the past, but for now we keep on learning, and keep on striving.
Sources:
Areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer's and other dementias (alberta.ca)
Entorhinal cortex - Scholarpedia
Understanding parts of the brain | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk)
Parietal Lobe - Physiopedia (physio-pedia.com)
Occipital Lobe: Function, Location, and Structure (spinalcord.com)
Symptoms Based on Location of Damage in Alzheimer's (verywellhealth.com)