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Alzheimer's Strengths And Weaknesses

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Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the research methods adopted by cognitive neuroscientists in order to understand the biological basis behaviour and mental processing
This essay will discuss strengths and weaknesses of fMRI, PET and CT scanning and explore how this has been beneficial with regards to researching Alzheimer`s. These particular methods vary between each other as they all involve different techniques and this essay will discuss which is most and least effective for Alzheimer`s. The most important section with regards to memory is found within the medial temporal lobe. Additionally, the hippocampus, the amygdale, and the hypothalamus. (Mastin, 2010). Alzheimer`s, is an illness involving memory loss and is the result of a …show more content…

PET scans produce images of inside the body which are 3D and enriched with detail. The scans direct our attention to the abnormal areas and allow us to see which parts of the body are working well and which parts aren’t. This is particularly useful as it can help doctors diagnose people with Alzheimer`s. The PET scanners work from radiation which is emitted from the substance radiotracer. The most typical radiotracer which is used is called flurodeoxyglucose, which isn’t that much of a shock to the body as it treats it like a natural glucose. The process of a PET scan is as follows; you are injected with a radiotracer into the vein and then have to lie still within a large circular scanner. (NHS choices, 2015) One really important strength of PET scanning with regards to Alzheimer`s is they are effective in highlighting amyloid protein plaques in the brain. This is extremely positive and may even allow doctors to diagnose people with Alzheimer`s even before any signs of symptoms appear. There has been studies conducted which reveal how PET scanning using florbetapir F as a tracer was effective in distinguishing between 68 people who were thought to have Alzheimer`s, also 60 people who showed signs of mild cognitive impairment and 82 healthy older people who showed no signs of cognitive impairment. The scans have a high resolution as what we see on the scan directly reflects how much amyloid protein is in the brain. However, a weakness of this is that the two don’t always link. Around one third of people older than 65 have the amyloid protein which is linked to Alzheimer`s, but they won`t actually have any cognitive impairment. (Mann, 2011) A strength of PET scans for Alzheimer`s is that if longitudinal studies are used, researchers can clearly see differences over time with regards to brain structure and cognition of these patients.(Habeck et al,2012) Another weakness is they have low

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Introduction Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events or short memory loss. As the disease advances, symptoms can include difficulty with language, disorientation, mood swing and behavior problems. As a person 's condition progressed, they often withdraw from friends and family. Slowly, bodily functions deteriorated and eventually death occurs.

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A surgery type of research trial that benefits the patients of Alzheimer’s disease is available. If the surgery was done correctly, the development of Alzheimer’s disease would decrease for the patient or the disease would develop later in life. The benefits of the increased Alzheimer’s research in this trial is mainly for the researchers, doctors, and the patients. For a study, a neurosurgeon would create small holes from a drill and places medicine into the brain of the patient (Hooper et al.). There are two types of drugs that can be placed by the surgeon; placebo and active agent.

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AD progression & diagnosis The progression of Alzheimer's can be described through several main cognitive stages starting at no cognitive decline through too mild to moderate before progressing to a more severe form of the disease. The pathological process associated with AD occurs roughly 20-25 years before symptoms appear (Mullane & Williams 2013). When symptoms become predominant Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed through a standardized scale (Mini-Mental State Exam) or questionnaire (Functional Activities Questionnaire) which is used to assess cognition (Desai & Grossberg 2005). Increasingly neuroimaging such as CT, MRI or PET scans are being suggested and used as a means to screen and diagnose for Alzheimer’s (Avila 2006; Borson et al. 2013).

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