Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Eventually it can affect the ability to perform even the simplest tasks of daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a group of brain disorders that leads to the loss of mental and social skills.

Alzheimer’s usually gets worse slowly over time, and the time from diagnosis to death varies depending on many factors. There is no cure, but treatment can slow or delay the disease and help reduce some symptoms.

Effects on the brain

The specific causes of Alzheimer’s are unclear, but doctors understand how two specific abnormalities in the brain affect mental function. The buildup of abnormal clusters of proteins (plaques) in the brain between nerve cells interferes with their ability to send information. The other abnormality is twisted proteins, called neurofibrillary tangles, which develop inside of nerve cells and can kill them.

Brain Aging & Memory Clinic

UAB Medicine’s Brain Aging & Memory Clinic was created to care for people with memory problems, thinking problems, or other complex issues related to degeneration in the brain. Located on the fifth floor of UAB Callahan Eye Hospital, the clinic uses a team approach that includes neurologists, nurse practitioners, and various types of nurses, with support from pharmacy specialists, social workers, and other health care professionals. This clinic’s goal is to maximize the well-being of patients, using medications as well as non-medical strategies.

Each clinic patient is assigned a physician and a nurse practitioner. They begin with a full patient history and mental testing, which may be followed by laboratory tests, imaging studies (like CT, MRI, or PET scans), and more detailed mental assessments called neuropsychological testing. Doctors use these test results to help create care plans. Patients also may be referred to experts in other areas, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, sleep specialists, and pain management specialists.

UAB Medicine is a major center for research, so our doctors help conduct studies to learn more about treating and managing memory disorders. This means that our patients may have access to treatments not available at other medical centers.

To make an appointment with the Brain Aging & Memory Clinic, please call 205-801-8986 or request an appointment online.