What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease - Soil and Health Library

with other threads of tau and become tangled. As this happens,
neuron microtubules disintegrate. These “tangles” prevent
the movement of nutrients and other molecules to the
nerve endings of the neurons, and as a result, communication
malfunctions can occur, often followed by cell death. Tangles
initially interfere with the functions of the brain’s temporal lobe,
causing memory loss and difficulties in reading and writing.
As plaques and tangles begin to appear in the frontal lobes,
personality disorders and other symptoms appear. While tangles
can be seen also in the brains of healthy older people,
they are relatively rare. In Alzheimer’s patients, the worse the
symptoms, the more common tangles are usually found to be
on brain autopsy. 11
NUCLEUS BASALIS OF MEYNERT
Plaques and tangles do not seem to be the only cause of Alzheimer’s-related
neuron death. Certain neurons found at the
base of the brain known as the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert,
appear to die in Alzheimer’s disease without any evidence of
the interference of plaques or tangles. Such neurons produce
acetylcholine, a chemical messenger used in communication
between neurons. Normally acetylcholine-manufacturing neurons
have long branches that reach into the hippocampus and
cortex and are thought to play an important role in learning
and memory. Their death in Alzheimer’s disease means that
less acetylcholine is available to the brain, probably interfering
with both its memory and learning capacity. 12
WHITE MATTER: MYELIN
The brain looks a little like an orange. An outer layer of grey
tissue surrounds a whitish core. This outer exterior is formed
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