The biology of Alzheimer's disease: 1

This article, the first of two parts, attempts to take dementia care back to its foundations by informing nursing practice of the biology and degenerative effects on the brain of Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent form of dementia. This biological understanding will then be used to illustrate the effect on the emotional, perceptual, behavioural and social world of the individual sufferer and will be selectively applied to inform nursing practice. Studying the biological process of AD is not easy, but an understanding is essential if a comprehensive and holistic stance is to be adopted by clinical nurse practitioners. These articles will also address the medical definitions of dementia, the onset and spread of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, and the genetic and aluminium components, and will compare the impact of AD on brain structure and function with that of the normal ageing brain. At the conclusion of the second article, future prospects and the nursing response will be considered.