How does Alzheimer's disease develop?

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Alzheimer's disease causes cholinergic nerve cells in the brain to die.The cerebral cortex shrinks in size,and the ability to think and function diminishes.Abnormal structures,called plaques and tangles,develop in the brain .Plaques are sticky,dense substances composed of a protein called beta amyloid.The plaques fill the spaces between neurons in the brain and interfere with the transmission of signals between the neurons.Tangles look like twisted fibers and are made up of clumps of a protein called tau.Tangles also block the transmission of messages between neurons.The accumulation of plaques and tangles also produces inflammation,which further damages neurons.Beta amyloid disrupts long-term potentiation (LTP),the mechanism the brain uses to store long-term memory.

How Does Alzheimer's Disease Develop