Alzheimer disease

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

How physical activity can slow Alzheimer disease

Learn how PET scans help detect the onset of Alzheimer disease

For Students

Alzheimer disease summary

Discover

American bison (Bison bison) also known as buffalo or plains buffalo on the prairie, western U.S.

What’s the Difference Between Bison and Buffalo?

Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting

Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum

Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart rehearsing his 12th Mass with singer and musician. (Austrian composer. (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

7 Famous Child Prodigies

Town of Sisimiut located on the coast of the Davis Strait on Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay, Greenland

The Largest Islands in the World

Prayer beads on Quran or Koran written in Arabic Islam's sacred and liturgical language. text, words, Ramadan

Celebrating Ramadan

Science & Tech

Alzheimer disease

pathology

Also known as: Alzheimer’s disease

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 8, 2024 • Article History

Alzheimer disease

See all media

Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: Michal Schwartz

Related Topics:: aging; neuritic plaque; early-onset familial Alzheimer disease; mild cognitive impairment; neurofibrillary tangle

See all related content →

Recent News

Mar. 8, 2024, 11:44 AM ET (AP)

FDA will take a deeper look into the safety and effectiveness of Lilly experimental Alzheimer's drug

Alzheimer disease, degenerative brain disorder that develops in mid-to-late adulthood. It results in a progressive and irreversible decline in memory and a deterioration of various other cognitive abilities. The disease is characterized by the destruction of nerve cells and neural connections in the cerebral cortex of the brain and by a significant loss of brain mass. The disease was first described in 1906 by German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer. By the early 21st century it was recognized as the most common form of dementia among older persons. An estimated 47.5 million people worldwide were living with dementia in 2016; that figure ...(100 of 2344 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.