Upon consulting the doctor, we discovered much to our horror that the brain of an Alzheimer's patient shrinks due to the death of nerve cells and tissue lost throughout the entire brain.

The change is very dramatic as can be seen in the diagram, and the functions of the brain are affected a great deal.

In the brain of the an alzheimer's patient, the cortex shrivels up and affects the parts involved in thinking, planning and memory work. The shrinkage is especially obvious in the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in the forming of new memories. Ventricles in the brain grow larger and expand as well.

When you take a look under the microscope at the brain tissue of an Alzheimer's patient, you will find something that looks like this.

Brain tissues of patients who suffer from Alzheimer's has many fewer brain cells and synapses than a normal person woth a healthy brain. Plaques start to build up between nerve cells. These dead and dying nerve cells contain tangles which are made up of twisted strands of another protein. Causes of nerve cell death adn tissue lost are unknown but scientist think the prime suspects are the tangles and plaques. Plaques are basically formed by protein pieces of beta-amyloid which are chemically "sticky" together. The most damaging form of beta-amyloid is groups each consisting of a few pieces. These small clumps block synapses and may also activate immune system cells that cause inflammation and devour disabled cells. Tangles destroy a vital cell transpoert system that is made up of proteins. When this happens, nutrients and other essential minerals cannot move through the cells, which will eventually die.