Memory

MEMORY RELATED DISORDERS:
-Memory disorders can range from mild to severe but all result from some kind of neurological damage to the structures of the brain, thus hindering the storage and recollection of memories.
-Memories can be progressive like Alzheimer's or Huntington's, or immediate like those resulting from traumatic brain injury.
-The most common disorders are effects of ageing.


ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative and ultimately fatal brain disease in which cell connection in the brain are lost. It is the most common form of dementia and is generally diagnosed in patients over about 65. Th disease was first identified by Alois Alzheimer as early as 1906, but was usually referred to as "senile dementia" and was considered a part of ageing, not an actual brain disease. The most common symptoms of AD are the inability to acquire new memories and difficulty recalling old ones. As the disease these symptoms worsen along with the development of new symptoms like irritability, aggression and confusion. Because this disease result in the loss of cell connections, this eventually spreads throughout the entire brain, making AD fatal.
HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

Huntington's Disease is an inherited progressive nuerodegenerative disorder, which affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline. Early symptoms include a general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait, which develops into involuntary and uncoordinated, jerky body movements (chorea) and a decline in mental abilities. The memory decline symptoms, especially those affecting short term memory, typically appear before any motor function symptoms. As the disease progresses, memory deficits tend to appear. Memory is affected by damage to the important pathways that help the inner subcortical and prefrontal cortex parts of the brain to communicate.

It was interesting to research and learn about memory and how people make memories or in turn lose them. My grandmother had alzheimer's towards the end of her life and it was insane to see how their personality basically just leaves them when their memories do. Your memories are what make you you, without them your brain cannot make connections to the people and things around you and you lose your personality. This disease is definitely heartbreaking to watch someone go through, especially someone that you are very close to and love.

“Huntington Disease - Genetics Home Reference.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/huntington-disease.

The Human Memory - What It Is, How It Works and How It Can Go Wrong, www.human-memory.net/index.html.