Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that causes serious damage to the brain and kills many neurons, affecting the connections between them. This has an effect on the behavioural level and on the cognitive level, and affects, among many other things, memory.

Alzheimer’s is a cortical-type dementia and is one of the most common and well-known. Generally, the disease progresses gradually, that is why early detection and diagnosis is essential . Treatment in the early stages of the disease can alleviate the symptoms and slow down its progress.

Proteins involved in Alzheimer’s

The exact cause of this disease is still unknown today, although some changes are observed in the brains of people suffering from this condition. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have a high number of neurofibrillary tangles and beta amyloid plaques .

Scientific data point to the idea that there are malformations in two proteins found in the brain, tau proteins and beta amyloids . According to a group of researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute, these proteins spread through the brain like a plague, and are related to aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

While initial research suggested that both proteins initially emerge in separate brain regions, a new study published in December 2016 in the Journal Acta Neuropathologica states that both proteins are present in the early stages of the disease and in the same brain region , suggesting that both contribute to the onset of the disease and are more connected than previously believed. This research was conducted by the University of Aberdeen.

Early Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

This study concludes, therefore, that for the first time the molecules supposedly contribute to the initial process of the disease, that is, they are present in very early stages of Alzheimer’s. They are found in an area of the brain involved in memory formation and information processing, which could have implications for the development of new drugs, but may also provide important information for the early diagnosis of the disease.

And… what are the symptoms of early diagnosis? What behaviors do people with Alzheimer’s have in the early stages of the disease?

Below is a list of early symptoms and signs characteristic of people with early Alzheimer’s.

1. Frequent falls

Although falls are somewhat frequent in the elderly, they are even more so in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease . This is what one study found in 125 adult subjects who were followed on how often they fell or tripped over an eight-month period.

It turns out that by the time the group of researchers conducted the brain-scanning tests, the subjects with Alzheimer’s had fallen further. Falls are common in people with this disease because of wandering or lack of orientation. Also, these individuals often have hyperkinetic disorder , which makes them more active and mobile, increasing the likelihood of falling.

2. Forgetfulness in aspects of routine

Memory problems are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease , so it is possible to detect early in the disease that the memory of these people fails. The easiest way to observe this is in functional objects and those used on a daily basis. For example, the person does not remember where the keys or dirty dishes are kept. They have serious difficulty carrying out simple tasks that they used to do normally.

3. Inability to recognize sarcasm

People with Alzheimer’s do not understand sarcasm , so in this situation they can become extremely serious and take things literally. A University of California, San Francisco study, led by Katherine Rankin, found that Alzheimer’s patients and those with frontotemporal disease did not recognize sarcasm in face-to-face encounters.

The cause seems to be that the posterior hippocampus of the brain is affected with Alzheimer’s disease, and is a region where short-term memory is stored, which affects sarcasm.

4. Loss of belongings

S e has commented that people with Alzheimer’s may forget aspects of the routine , such as not knowing where to keep the keys or not remembering whether or not they have eaten during the day. This causes them to often lose their own belongings because they don’t know where they have put them. They often even put their things in the wrong places, for example, the clock on the fridge.

5. Changes in your social behavior

People with Alzheimer’s show a number of behaviors that make them think something is happening to them . Their way of behaving with regard to their projects changes or they stop doing the hobbies they used to enjoy so much. The person is increasingly withdrawing from social life and may sleep more or spend more time watching television instead of socializing with others.

6. Difficulties in problem solving

It is common for sick people to have difficulties in solving problems . In fact, it is difficult for them to do mathematical operations or follow a series of guidelines. For example, it would be very difficult for them to follow a simple recipe.

7. Mood swings

Mood changes are common in people with Alzheimer’s disease , which can become very problematic and even conflictive in advanced stages. In fact, their personality changes radically as the disease progresses, and family members feel this behaviour the most.

Anxiety, sadness, fear or frustration are emotions that these subjects can often experience. They can easily become angry both at home and in places where they are out of their environment.

8. Confusion about time and place

Individuals with this disease may be confused about time and place . In other words, they may feel disoriented and may get lost somewhat easily. This causes serious problems for them, and as mentioned above, disorientation also causes these people to fall further.

9. Loss of common sense

A person’s judgment is his opinions and decisions . Individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s may see this ability diminished, causing them to pay less attention to their self-care or to make decisions that are not very understandable and far from common sense.

For example, when you give away a lot of money to a telephone seller who calls you on your mobile phone offering you an offer. These decisions may seem strange and irresponsible to other mortals, but not to them.

10. Excessive agitation

It is not unusual for people with Alzheimer’s to feel distressed or agitated . What causes them to be in constant motion . Agitation is often the result of fear, confusion or trying to understand the world that starts to make no sense at some point. This also causes the above-mentioned mood swings, and is a clear sign that the person is changing.

11. Communication difficulties

With this disease, the language and communication skills of the affected person decrease significantly . It is very common that even in the vocabulary these symptoms can be seen: difficulties in finding the right word, calling things by the wrong names, substituting familiar words for some unusual or incorrect ones, or calling people you know as if they were strangers (for example, a friend as “that guy”).