Alzheimer's disease the most common cause of dementia among people over the age of 65, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Alzheimer's disease is not a normal sign of aging. It is a progressive neurological disease.

Little is understood about what causes Alzheimer's disease and what can be done to prevent or cure it. The best known aspects of the disease are the symptoms of dementia it produces and the characteristic changes seen in the brains of patients after death. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease occur when neurons (nerve cells) in the brain die or break connections with other neuronsAlzheimer's Disease is a common form of dementia that often involves memory loss and confusion.. Also, people with Alzheimer's disease have protein deposits in and around the neurons called beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which are thought to disrupt the function of the neurons. However, these plaques and tangles can only be identified during an autopsy and their role in the development of the disease or its symptoms is not understood.