Information on Alzheimers and How To Take Care of Those Who are Suffering with Alzheimer's Disease
Even though it has been some 100 years since Alois Alzheimer identified the symptoms of what is now known as Alzheimer's disease, not much progress has been made in treating and curing this degenerative disease. Once diagnosed, Alzheimer's patients are told that their mind and body would progressively deteriorate until they die. It is cruel that these intelligent, wonderful, individuals will lose all the attributes that make a human being. Can deprenyl ease the suffering? There is the growing evidence that deprenyl can provide substantial benefits for the victims of Alzheimer's disease, with little risk of adverse side effects.
A daily dose of 10 mg of deprenyl (Eldepryl in USA) has been shown in controlled, double-blind studies to reverse many aspects of the progressive mental deterioration in mild-to-moderately impaired Alzheimer's patients, thereby improving the quality of life of these patients for up to six months. Alzheimer's patients receiving deprenyl become less depressed, less anxious, less irritable, and more relaxed than those receiving placebo.
Let's see how it works.
A brain is composed of billions of neurons. They communicate through a group of chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters play key roles in memory, learning, concentration, coordination, movement and mood fluctuation - all of which are affected adversely in Alzheimer's disease.
One of the brain neurotransmitters affected adversely in Alzheimer's disease are dopamine, which is essential chemical that occurs in many parts of the body, especially in the brain, and it is important in the programming of bodily movement.
An enzyme, monoamine oxidase (MAO), plays another important role in the brain. Like other enzymes, MAO is a protein that catalyzes and regulates the chemical reaction necessary for the efficient function of most of the body's cells. In the brain, and especially in the brains of older people, MAO occasionally overreacts, which means it destroys neurotransmitters before they have lived out their usefulness.
Scientists discovered that brain levels of MAO in Alzheimer's patients are much higher than in normal aging person, and that the higher levels of MAO in Alzheimer's patients causes excessive oxidation (degradation) of dopamine, which, in turn, leads to a decline in memory, learning, coordination, concentration, and sex drive in these patients.
Deprenyl is a selective inhibitor of MAO (at 10 mg a day) which appears to improve the physical and mental condition of Alzheimer's patients by reducing (by up to 90%) the MAO-induced degradation of dopamine. Deprenyl may also improve the condition of Alzheimer's patients by interfering with the free-radical mediated destruction of bran cells in these patients. Deprenyl tablets are sold in the United States under the trade name Eldepryl. The active ingredient in deprenyl products is selegiline.
While deprenyl alone is not a cure for Alzheimer's disease, it clearly improves the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and may slow the progression of the disease.
