INDIA: Brain cells do not simply die off as people grow older

. CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu (The Hindu), September 5, 2008: Synaptic failure By D. Murali Few diseases have had as great a social, economic, and personal impact as Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, says Robert N. Butler in ‘The Longevity Revolution: The benefits and challenges of living a long life’ (www.publicbooksaffairs.com). “Destroying the mind, devastating the family, and making considerable demands upon the health – and social-care systems, it also robs society of important contributors,” he bemoans. Contrary to traditional belief, brain cells do not simply die off as people grow older, although dendrites, the branches of brain cells, do thin out, the author explains. What then is Alzheimer’s disease? “A synaptic failure,” defines Dennis J. Selkoe of Harvard. Nerve impulses pass across the junctions called synapses that join nerve cells with each other, with muscle cells (to produce movement), and with gland cells (to produce hormonal secretions), elaborates Butler. “The best way to determine the extent of mental impairment is by measuring synaptic density, which is the extent of communications among neurons and was first observed by the neuropathologist Robert Terry. The more advanced the disease, the fewer the nerve impulses…” Copyright © 2008, The Hindu