1. Health

Glossary

If some of the words used in this Guide Site are new to you, check here for an explanation of commonly used terms and phrases in relation to Alzheimer's disease.

Acetylcholine

How is acetylcholine associated with Alzheimer's disease?

Activities of Daily Living

What are activities of daily living, and how do they relate to the day-to-day functioning of someone with Alzheimer's disease?

Agnosia

What does it mean when my doctor says my loved one has agnosia?

Alpha-Synuclein

What role does alpha-synuclein play in dementia?

Alzheimer's Disease

Is Alzheimer's disease the same as dementia?

Antecedent

Why should I pay attention to antecedents when dealing with Alzheimer's behaviors?

Aphasia

What does it mean when the doctor says my loved one has aphasia?

ApoE 4

What is the ApoE 4 gene, and how does it affect Alzheimer's risk?

Apraxia

What does it mean when the doctor says my loved one is showing apraxia?

Behavior

What does it mean when my doctor refers to behavioral symptoms?

Beta Amyloid

How does beta amyloid contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease?

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

What are cholinesterase inhibitors and how do they treat Alzheimer's disease?

Cognitive

What does it mean when my doctor refers to cognitive symptoms?

Consequence

Why should I pay attention to consequences when dealing with Alzheimer's behaviors?

CT Scan

My doctor has recommended a CT scan. What is it and how do CT scans work?

Delusion

What are delusions? How might my loved one experience delusions?

Dementia

Are dementia and Alzheimer's the same thing?

Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

What's the difference between early-onset and early-stage Alzheimer's?

Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease

Is early-stage Alzheimer's different from early-onset Alzheimer's?

Executive Functioning

How do I know if Alzheimer's is affecting executive functioning?

Glutamate

How is glutamate associated with Alzheimer's disease? A definition of glutamate.

Hallucination

What are hallucinations? How might my loved one experience a hallucination?

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

What are instrumental activities of daily living, and how do they relate to the day-to-day functioning of someone with Alzheimer's disease?

Lewy Bodies

What are Lewy bodies and how do they relate to dementia?

Lifespan Respite Care Act

What is the Lifespan Respite Care Act?

Literal Paraphasia - A Speech and Language Problem

If my loved one has speech and language problems, could it be literal paraphasia?

Memory

When a person has a memory impairment, what does that mean?

Mixed Dementia

Can a person have Alzheimer's and another kind of dementia?

MRI

What is an MRI and how is an MRI used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's?

Neurotransmitters

What are neurotransmitters and what role do they play in Alzheimer's disease?

Orientation

What are doctors referring to when they ask whether my loved one is oriented? What does orientation mean?

PET Scan

What's a PET scan and how is it used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's?

Plaques

If you're wondering why you keep hearing about "plaques and tangles" in relation to Alzheimer's disease, find out what plaques are and how they affect the brain.

Pseudodementia

What's the difference between dementia and pseudodementia?

Tangles

You've probably heard the phrase "plaques and tangles" in relation to Alzheimer's disease. But what are tangles, and how do they affect the brain?

Tau

How does tau contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease?

National Alzheimer's Project Act - What is the National Alzheimer's Project Act

National Alzheimer's Project Act - What is the National Alzheimer's Project Act

Oligomers in Alzheimer's Disease

What are oligomers and how are they important in possibly causing Alzheimer's disease?

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