Alzheimer disease
Alzheimer disease
A plaque is an abnormal cluster of protein fragments. Such clusters can be found between nerve cells in the brain of someone with Alzheimer. A microscope will also show damaged nerve cells. In them are tangles called neurofibrillary tangles. These consist of twisted strands of a different protein.
Together, the plaque and tangles cause structural and chemical problems. It appears that Alzheimer disease causes parts of the brain that normally work together to disconnect.
Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.