running head: discovering the depths of dementia and … · 2020. 5. 5. · alzheimer’s and...

Running head: DISCOVERING THE DEPTHS OF DEMENTIA AND OTHERS 1

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Final Paper

Carla Beuthe

Georgian Court University

DISCOVERING THE DEPTHS OF DEMENTIA AND OTHERS 2

Abstract

The information in this paper will cover the effects of cognitive impairment in patients with

Alzheimer’s disease as well as other types of dementia. A comparison will be assessed looking at

the study by Eriksson et al. (2011) about inflammatory mechanisms in the brain. The study did

not indicate as many findings as opposed to another study done by Hoy et al. (2017) which

showed significant brain changes and the presence of inflammatory mechanisms. These

mechanisms consist of Interleukin-6 (IL6) and C-Reactive protein (CRP) which show up in the

brain in the form of plaques and tangles. An overview of Alzheimer’s and dementia will talk

about these neurodegenerative disorders in depth, including testing modalities. This paper will

also impart on the various modes of family support and the ways medical professionals,

caregivers, and relatives can assist in caring for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The

role of treatment will discuss early detection to interventions in therapy and holistic paradigms.


Introduction

With the baby boomer generation living longer, elderly patients are likely to be diagnosed

with Alzheimer’s or dementia. There are many individuals who have either owned their home

prior to the disease and have lived independently and there are others who have lived in nursing

or assisted living facilities for quite some time. Family members have struggled to understand

the nature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and often experienced maladaptive feelings about the

process. Some people have wondered what contributing factors cause the destructive disease and

why it happens. This paper will explore a general overview of these two neurodegenerative

disorders and other forms of dementia. Testing modalities will aim to discuss how AD and

dementia can be detected; including new research on inflammatory mechanisms in the brain.

The help of family support will discuss ways to care for elderly patients who feel disoriented

coupled with resources to manage care-giver burnout. Questions that surround treatment options

include the kinds of interventions available, which methods work more efficiently than the other,

and the integration of conventional and holistic paradigms in the treatment process.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is regarded as a lifelong progressive disease that is difficult to

detect and treat once the severity of the disease has settled in. Barnett et al. (2014) described AD

in a series of stages. These stages provide an understanding of what to detect overtime. The

three stages begin with AD-dementia and the second stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The second stage is MCI-AD and the third stage is preclinical AD. Mild cognitive impairment

and dementia are determined by both clinical assessment and bio markers to detect preclinical

AD. This is to catch any signs that are pivotal in figuring out whether a patient’s preclinical

symptoms will turn into dementia.


Barnett et al. (2014) discussed that the United Kingdom healthcare system has worked in

technology to help with cost-effective options for patients and their families. Timely detection

and intervention are two examples that can help alleviate symptoms in order to lower healthcare

costs and keep patients in their communities for a longer duration. There are still debates about

the type of stage it is acceptable to assess and treat from. For some, this may mean the earlier the

detection, the better in the long run as opposed to delaying detection.

Barnett et al. (2014) designed a longitudinal population-based study in France. This model

assessed cognitive decline in a nine year course. Participants who demonstrated cognitive

function consisted of 1,285 people who did not have dementia. The other participants were 215

people who had dementia from AD. The Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) score was

estimated around 26 at the start of the course. Eighteen became the score at the period diagnosis

began. This study was a reflection of the number of diagnoses patients received after AD-

dementia onset (Barrett et al. 2014). Following that point, the study evaluated two key

hypothetical scenarios. The first involved a symptomatic drug that mimicked effects of

cholinesterase inhibitors. The second mode was a disease-modifying intervention. The disease-

modifying intervention’s role is to postpone cognitive decline for a lengthy period of time.

Based on these scenarios, both modes indicated that timing is crucial for not only alleviating

symptoms, but help to maximize economic benefits in healthcare. The study later showed that

the outcome from the symptomatic scenario delineated more applicable use because of existing

treatments in the UK for patients who have mild to severe AD-dementia. On the other hand, the

disease-modifying intervention showed that it did not have an impact initially due to the time it

took. The researcher provided an example of one’s lifestyle. An individual’s lifestyle is an

integral preventative strategy to be implemented earlier to avoid cognitive impairment. This


strategy is a safer option that does not involve any medicinal use. There are other online

resources called The Science of Prevention which listed physical activity and diet as a seamless

component to treatment. Although there are not enough studies being done on this topic, it is

imperative that regular check-ups with healthcare providers are established in order to examine

deficits early on in the process.

On a universal scale, it is not widely known by people to accept the possibility that

inflammation is a cause to AD and dementia. Many people believe that causes to

neurodegenerative disorders are unknown except for a possible suspicion in gene related causes.

Inflammation, overall, is a process that occurs in the body that lets an individual know that

something foreign has entered it or that something does not feel right. For instance, a person

may feel weak or stiff and may experience swelling. If left untreated, a myriad of problems can

occur which can lead to inflammation traveling to multiple or localized areas in the body.

Eriksson et al. (2011) looked into the role of DNA sequence variation and serum levels in

men and women. Interleukin-6 (IL6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are inflammatory proteins

emitted when an infection or injury arises. The researchers noted that another key regulator

involved in this process are cytokines that mesh with CRP. It was noted that CRP and IL6 are

found in senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These tangles and plaques are indicators in

the brain that cognitive damage set in. The study of cytokines are also talked about in several

science courses, including anatomy and physiology. These classes discuss interleukin enmeshed

in the topic of immune responses. These proteins are beneficial in their ability to stimulate cell

growth among their involvement in differentiation and motility. When something foreign

invades the body, interleukin can cause unpleasant sensations in the body. Due to their role in


the human body, this researcher posited that IL6 and CRP are important agents in AD and

dementia.

Eriksson et al. (2011) conducted a Swedish twin study that aimed to look at the aging process

related to dementia. Participants fifty and older joined the Swedish Twin Registry and engaged

in cognitive testing, dementia evaluation, and blood sampling. Further assessments asked

questions about basic demographics such as smoking and education. The twin samples were set

up using a two-part process. This two-part process incorporated cognitive screening and

diagnostic assessment. The MMSE and use of a telephone assisted in screening for cognitive

dysfunction. Furthermore, participants who were assumed to have dementia, were followed

through with a series of medical interviews. All formal diagnoses took place at a consensus

conference with the use of the DSM. Correspondingly, a Swedish non-twin case control sample

was conducted. There were 896 late-onset AD LOAD patients. The patients underwent a series

of thorough medical investigations which consisted of lab tests, medical history, and psychiatric

examinations to name a few. Eriksson et al. (2011) stated that the comparisons of the twin and

non-twin studies showed a minor difference in circulating inflammatory mechanisms,

specifically targeting IL6. Even though significant levels of IL6 were shown in AD and many

other dementias, results did not show an interaction between CRP levels and APOE-4. The

researchers identified E (APOE) as a susceptibility gene that has a link to AD from other external

studies. The researchers noted that the link between CRP and APOE4 did not have any

involvement in vascular dementia (AD/VaD) or mixed/any dementia. The results concluded that

there was a small indication that elderly with AD had altered immune systems with higher levels

of IL6 as opposed to elderly without dementia. However, the study did not delineate a strong

influence of CRP and IL6 being key contributors later in life to AD onset. Based on these


results, there is a missing link in the researchers’ methods used to find if these inflammatory

proteins had any major impact. Through connections to outside learning, inflammation causes a

wide spectrum of problems if not taken care of properly and promptly.

In addition, testing modalities were explored. Similar to the article by Eriksson et al. (2011);

Hoy et al. (2017) explored the depths of a different degree of damage and dysfunction in the

brain at a cellular level. The present article looked at neuronal loss and synaptic pathology to be

strongly tied to the severity of dementia and AD. In order to closely monitor neuronal loss and

the synaptic pathology of the brain, cell loss is detected using different kinds of testing

modalities. The diffusion-weighted MRI is sensitive to the random self-diffusion of water

molecules. This kind of MRI measured signals inside brain tissue looking at the microstructure

of the tissue. The MRI was controlled based on the geometry of the tissue’s microstructure. The

function of the water molecules were used as a tracer to analyze the tissue’s microstructure on

the brain. Another type of testing modality in this current study is Diffusion Tensor Imaging

(DTI). This used a Gaussian model to extensively assess microstructure tissue changes in two

aging facets such as AD and preclinical AD.

A free water elimination model was used to estimate and remove signal contributions from

cerebrospinal fluid. The method consisted of 70 participants between late and middle aged

adults around 60 years of age. These participants did not have dementia. The WRAP study was

longitudinal and involved positive or negative tests to look at family history. Positive family

history was determined as having one or both parents with AD through an autopsy or interview.

This was confirmed clinically. Patients with negative parental history was done through a

battery of phone interviews coupled with a thorough medical history. Absence of family history

in determining AD, required that the participant’s father lived to 70 years of age and mother to


75 years of age without dementia. Moreover, each participant took a battery of MMSE tests to

measure memory function. One of the exams called the Trail Making Test A+B assessed

processing speed and executive function.

The procedures also incorporated cerebrospinal fluid analyses in conjunction with MRI.

Unlike the research article aforementioned earlier by Eriksson et al. (2011), this present study

revealed a strong association between markers of AD pathology in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and

white matter microstructure. Another type of protein was monitored called Tau proteins. These

proteins were linked with higher free water or f-value in frontal and temporal lobe white matter.

Another protein linked to the amyloid pathway showed changes to the microstructure as well.

There were no significant links to altered microstructure with hippocampal gray matter.

Eriksson et al. (2011) did not show significant connections to inflammation in the brain.

Hoy et al. (2017) quantified that inflammation is a key link to various neurodegenerative

disorders. Results showed that at the cellular level, CSF and advanced multi-compartment

imaging began to explain the axonal and myelin changes in the course of AD. Moreover, the

researcher found that the amyloid pathology is connected to axonal degeneration. Hippocampal

neurons placed in vitro have shown axonal degeneration stemmed from toxins. Another study by

Krstic et al. pointed out that there was inflammation involved in microglial activation (cited in

Hoy et al. 2017). These two studies although show similar processes, Hoy et al. (2017) research

article stated that inflammation is transparent in the brain at the deepest level and is known to be

one of the reasons why these disorders exist. More research is needed to examine these

inflammatory biomarkers neurologically.

The study of AD and dementia has had little insight on a holistic perspective about the gut

and brain connection. Although, this information is well-suited in discussing elements for


treatment; people’s central nervous systems should be taken into account. In holistic practices,

inflammation is discussed heavily including ways to combat it. Cheng et al. (2019) outlined an

individual’s entire profile that may have a correlation to disease such as diet, genetics, sex, and

age. The human-gut comprises of microorganisms that exceed the number of cells in the human

body. Within this research, it was found that gut microbiota had been connected to

immunomodulation, energy balance, and enteric nervous system activation. In turn, considering

the array of components to one’s profile such as diet, it can be inferred that unhealthy foods can

contribute to issues spanning the immune system.

Further research was seen in how gut microbiota contributed to diseases in the central nervous

system (CNS). Cheng et al. (2019) found that Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus was

transparent in patients with major depressive disorder. Patients who have AD showed a reduced

number of Bifidobacterium in gut microbiota. Other results were found in neurodevelopmental

disorders that caused an imbalance. Evidence showed microbiota-gut brain axis (MGBA)

phenomena appear in a variety of CNS and gastrointestinal disorders. Based on these results,

holistic perspectives about the gut-brain connection is existent. With this in mind, loved ones

and other care members have something else to work with in conjunction with a general

overview of AD and dementia.

A study was conducted that looked at probiotic use with insulin level and insulin resistance.

Probiotics improved in the area of MMSE scores and inflammation decreased. In other areas of

this study, showed inconsistent effects of probiotic use, but should not entirely be eliminated

altogether. When loved ones and other health professionals are compiling ways to create a

regimen of interventions and steps to consider, the use of probiotics and psycho-biotics can be an

important secondary component to apply to a patient’s lifestyle. Psycho-biotics can help balance


and regulate neural excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters that affect people physically,

mentally, emotionally, and holistically. Neurodegenerative disorders such as AD and dementia

require consistent research to balance utilizing holistic practices with conventional practices, but

doing so can provide a host of beneficial outcomes to a patient’s mind and quality of life (QoL).

One of the last major points covering the general overview of AD and dementia, is wandering

behavior. Wandering behavior does not affect every patient with AD and dementia. Cipriani et

al. (2014), the research presented stated that wandering is summed up by a set of behaviors

associated with getting lost, eloping, and random pacing. There are some long-term facilities

who look at that kind of behavior and do not consider the patient’s autonomy and needs. The

article explained that there are three pivotal approaches to unmet needs. These unmet needs stem

from biomedical, psychosocial, and person-environmental interaction. The psychosocial

approach encompassed issues with stress and former work positions where patients used to be

busy, contribute to wandering. The researcher mentioned that patients who wander without

having a clear direction are trying to find a familiar environment or someone familiar. It is

imperative that while these behaviors occur, elderly with AD and dementia are treated with the

utmost care and support. They were once independent and healthy individuals with back stories

and anecdotes. Not every individual loses a piece of their story. The next subtopic will discuss

the role of family support when caring for someone with this disease as well as the role of family

support when it comes to support enhancing a patient’s autonomy.

In addition, a major component to the study of aging related to AD and dementia is the role of

family support. Family members who are put in a position to care for a loved one, may feel

stressed as well as other maladaptive emotions to the process. Depending on the severity of the

disease, patients with neurodegenerative disorders still have their autonomy. With this case in


point, their stage of severity will likely impact how much patients can handle, but a person’s

level of responsibility should never be completely overlooked.

Frantik (2017) stated that outside research noted that enjoyment in old age was associated to

personal responsibility, whether that ranged socially to inner self-confidence. However, those

who have damage in their communication, body language, or emotional expression do not have

the same level of responsibility elderly without AD or dementia may have. Subsequently, there

are others who have AD and dementia who can feel more involved being paired with tasks.

In a case where a patient’s dementia is severe, family members can arrange for surrogate

decision makers or representatives to help them come to a conclusive decision regarding their

care. While this option takes many steps, it is vital for a relative to make sure gaining this other

party is not one-sided in his or her view. Frantik (2017) asserted that these representatives

should be empathetic to the situation. Due to emotional changes in an elderly patient, this

should not alter the way they should be treated. The article listed a variety of suggestions and

tasks to utilize at a level of equal primordial responsibility. One of the suggestions include

listening to a loved one carefully and empathetically to understand their interests and needs. It is

possible that patients may utter and may not properly verbalize how he or she feels, but it is

important for a relative to step in to make a rational decision at that point.

Family members can share moments with their loved one creating a life story book that

portray beautifully designed photos to stimulate them. Elderly with AD and dementia have a

challenging time elaborating through open-ended answers. If they repeat themselves on multiple

occasions, a life story book can be their level of responsibility given to them. This allows the

individual to create their own anecdotes and stories. By doing so, it is vital that relatives refrain

from judgment.


There are other suggestions for family members and caregivers to use when noticing

repetitive behavior. Frantik (2017) outlined important ways these suggestions can be put to

practice. Family members can help redirect their loved one to an activity if they see them

rubbing their hands on a table. This signifies that a patient is looking to pair the behavior with a

task such as dusting the table. Relatives can speak to their loved one in a gentle voice; making

sure not to take their mood personally. These are some suggestions for relatives to keep in mind

when caring for their loved one with AD or dementia.

Furthermore, the integration of doll therapy was noted to be a noteworthy alternative to

establishing responsibility. It provides patients and other parties with a small scope of

responsibility to give to their patient. Going back to wandering behavior, patients who exhibit

wandering often placed themselves in a past mental state where they used to do things, see

people they used to see, and exercise their sense of self-sufficiency. Doll therapy is similar in

that regard because this gives an elderly patient an opportunity to relive those past experiences

again.

Doll therapy, according to Frantik (2017) provided a duality to the pros and cons of this

therapy. One opposing view stated that doll therapy is regarded as infantilizing and demeaning

as well as led to non-maleficience among family members. A supporting view purported that the

incorporation of doll therapy can be beneficial. Frantik (2017) purported that patients’ autonomy

regardless of the disease should still be considered. Dignity should still be given to all human

beings as mentioned in the Kantian perspective. A study done by David Moore (2001) added

there is no research evidence to say that doll therapy is demeaning in any way (cited in Frantik

2017). The article also added that family members and other health professionals can read facial

expressions and body language on patients to see if they would welcome holding a doll. The


purpose of this article was to inform people about the varying degrees patients can still hold,

even if they are small.

Family support and the feelings of stress also arise in caregivers who look after elderly

patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Rosness et al. (2008) research showed that FTD is

the second most common cause of early onset dementia. The burden of these caretakers are

often higher because loved ones with FTD are often younger than their AD counterparts. These

relatives and other types of caretakers were noted to feel guilt and depression if their personal

obligations were either at work, school, or their spouses. A study was implemented that looked

at early onset dementia in Norway. Data was assessed through interviews, conducted by

psychologists and psychiatrists. The results from this study showed there were far greater FTD

patients entering nursing homes after diagnosis than their AD counterparts. FTD was

characterized to showing more disturbed behavior with more altered changes in their personality

which impacted their caretakers more heavily. Unmet needs were described in the area of a

patient’s ADL’s followed by a higher risk of being put away to nursing facilities or dying. Since

FTD is a rare disease, there are not enough resources and preventative protocols that health

professionals are aware of. Due to a lack of limited information, many relatives and other

caretakers are left feeling disappointed in the process. The article stressed that more educational

programs are to be installed so that the overall quality of life (QoL) can reach an optimal level.

Mileski et al. (2017) stated that veterans are also subjected to lack of information and

resources with their dementia diagnoses similar to patients with FTD. Similar to Rosness et al.

(2008), more educational initiatives need to be implemented to help better understand the nature

of the diagnosis in veterans. This article interconnected with the other articles in this paper in

regards to providing a multi-faceted approach that include early detection and treatment as well.


Family support can span to other approaches including online support groups dealing with a

spiritual paradigm to treatment. Damianakis et al. (2018) addressed the impact of caregiver

stress utilizing a stress and coping adaptation model in order to help caregivers who are

struggling. A qualitative analysis was compiled utilizing an online video support group to help

patients with AD and FTD. The stress and coping theoretical model directed caregivers’

responses to stress and their use of resources for the management of stress. The impact of

stressors in a caregiver’s environment was based on how the stressors are reviewed.

Appraisal is based on positive and negative emotions. Damianakis et al. (2018) stated that

negative emotions reach a higher threshold when appraised negatively and stressors appraised

positively come to terms of a spiritual and religious connection. Although this specific research

is often overlooked due to the nature of religion and spirituality, it was pointed out that both of

these entities have different constructs.

Based on the present research, spirituality was helpful for both caregivers and the patient

because it is an inward journey that draws inside of the self. This practice pieces and searches

for hidden answers that cultivate meaning to life’s hardships. Whereas, religion is more of an

external presentation of one’s traditional faith which include customs, ethical codes, and modes

of worship. Through integration of these two entities or used separately, research posited that

the role of family support helped to reduce stress and depressive responses. The caregiver

chooses to turn to a more inward resource which can bring many benefits to one’s physical

health and mental health.

In terms of treatment, intervention also placed importance on non-pharmacological methods.

Non-pharmacological therapies have been shown to maximize patient’s QoL and is centered on a

client-caregiver dyad. Avila et al. (2018) consisted of research that looked at three main groups


of non-pharmacological therapies. Occupational therapy, exercise, and a multi-faceted

intervention was implemented. Occupational therapy utilizes a client-centered approach to help

patients improve their wellness and help them in areas of self-care. The study was one of the

first to explore the effects of a home-based program in a sample with mild dementia participants.

In this arena, results showed that OT helped to elevate performance in assisted daily living tasks

(ADL’s) and other tasks related to cognition. The results also showed that a majority of patients

were self-sufficient in this process, however, more studies are needed in this area of care to

demonstrate its effectiveness. The article mentioned that home-based OT programs create an

overall healthy and optimistic outcome in improving autonomy in self-care tasks. Perhaps, an

integration of non-pharmacological therapy and conventional therapy can suit patients’ in their

regimen of care to help slow the progression of neurodegenerative disorders.

In an article similar to the degeneration of the brain from a neurobiological aspect, Silva et al.

(2019) studied the degeneration of vascular wall and blood flow damage in areas of the brain

where episodic memory is affected. In addition, episodic memory began to deteriorate with

language and visuospatial regions. Due to this dysfunction, marked changes in a patient’s

behavior was evident. Final diagnoses were administered after death to examine the senile

plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These plaques and tangles made way to other neuro-cortical

regions of the brain. Research showed that cognitive and behavior features are strongly tied with

tangles in the brain which lead to degeneration.

There are interventions suggested that can help prevent AD and dementia from occurring.

Exercise and diet are two main measures that have been linked to better memory recall and brain

structure (Silva et al. 2019). Another preventative measure is exposure to cognitive stimuli

which can help a patient expand his or her learning. Drugs, however, do not get to the root cause


of the disease and are limited in how much they can be an asset. They were not found to change

existing physiological mechanisms. Even though many health professionals have not considered

holistic paradigms to be a necessary form of treatment, results have shown that even minor

progress have been beneficial instead of pharmacological treatments that have failed to address

the root cause.

To emphasize another point, Donix et al. (2011), highlighted that data in early detection and

treatment of AD can affect the future well-being in the AD community. The APOE-4 protein

was found in structural MRI modalities that this gene and the effects of the family risk factor

exist in cortical thickness patterns. APOE-4 was shown to increase amyloid function and

contribute to a wide spectrum of toxicity. Reduced plasticity and neural repair was assumed to

be a risk factor for these cognitive disorders.

In addition, increased vascular risks was also an indicator to family history factor. There are

strategies that can be implemented as well to prevent AD and dementia. One of the strategies

include enhancing vascular health coupled with education and resources can advise healthcare

personnel. Another strategy included consistent testing modalities to ensure that there are no

more increased structural changes produced. All of these preventative measures can be kept in

one’s mind to preserve cognition as much as possible while definitive cures work on

streamlining their way into these communities.

Consequently, in order to be on the safe side when caring for a patient with AD or dementia,

it is important for patients to receive timely detection. It is putting that priority before anything

else to make sure that medical professionals can catch deficits early on in the process. Cost-

effective options are beneficial in helping patients with AD and dementia living in their

communities longer along with their resources.


Between the two hypothetical scenarios, the sympathetic treatment is a quicker alternative to

take, while the disease-modifying intervention takes more time to utilize, but is capable of

helping to produce more positive, lifelong results. Research mentioned that a patient’s lifestyle

is pivotal with prevention because this gives a patient a responsibility to contribute to his or her

cognitive wellness. Although a patient may feel they do not have control over everything;

lifestyle is encouraged in a variety of situations. Two studies compared the level of

inflammation in the body. Both studies showed that inflammatory mechanisms are existent,

even if there are small indications. Lifestyle can help patients’ combat inflammation so that

inflammatory proteins in the body do not spread to other areas in the body that can make

conditions worse.

Another component to the general overview of AD and dementia, is the role of patient dignity

and responsibility. Even though some patients have lost their ability to make constructive and

rational decisions; their autonomy is still intact. Relatives and other parties in the care process

are required to maintain their responsibilities by being empathetic and not passing judgment.

Doll therapy can be useful in giving a patient a small task they can acquire, which can stimulate

positive associations for the patient.

Family support offers a duality to patient care. Relatives and caregivers are susceptible to

stress, but with proper educational initiatives, family members can approach diagnoses with

more knowledge than with a lack of resources. Like veterans and patients with frontotemporal

dementia (FTD), many family members are left feeling anguished because even doctors are

unsure of what kind of information to provide. Even small acts of change can make a huge

difference in a patient’s quality of life (QoL). Family members can help their loved one get

involved in an activity, such as the creation of life books to music therapy. The role of


spirituality is beneficial for family members because this alternative helps to curb stress and

aversive feelings of worthlessness and guilt during the care process. Spirituality is helpful

finding meaning to life’s most difficult circumstances, which can repair any strained

relationships, due to the increased responsibility in caring for a loved one.

The research aforementioned above, indicated that holistic paradigms to treatment are not

relatively common as an addition to a patient’s treatment plan. It was shown that applied holistic

therapies offered improvements even in small doses. For example, occupational therapy is a

patient-focused field that is focused on a patient’s quality of life in terms of independence.

Tasks in this field include helping patients hold utensils, tie their shoes, or provide assistance in

self-care tasks. The act of doing things such as pairing tasks and doing them can enhance

positive emotions in the individual. An individual is working with the therapist to aid in their

level of care and benefit from seeing progress as they are doing something.

Although, drugs can help in several disorders to alleviate symptoms, they do not get a patient

to understand the root cause to a problem. Exercise and diet are other strategies utilized in

treatment in the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques found in the brain. To

prevent further degeneration of these plaques and tangles, individuals can engage in self-

exploratory activities such as learning and staying consistently active spiritually, physically,

mentally, and emotionally. Being sure to follow up through testing to ensure a patient takes

accountability; is important in maintaining rapport and communication with his or her healthcare

provider. In the next coming years, it would be rewarding to see a breakthrough in the common

neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders that ail millions of people.


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