Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by cognitive and behavioral impairment that significantly interferes with social and occupational functioning. It is estimated that the global prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia is approximately 32 million; furthermore, 315 million individuals worldwide have preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.
This disease is incurable and has a long preclinical period and progressive course. Plaques and tangles develop in the hippocampus, a structure deep in the brain that helps to encode memories, and in other areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in thinking and decision-making. Whether plaques and tangles themselves cause Alzheimer’s disease or whether they are a by-product of the process remains unknown. Currently, an autopsy or brain biopsy is the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
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