Drama on and off the stage.
I have a story about the start (and end) of my acting career which is so extraordinary it will keep you glued to your seat till the very end and send many chills down your spine en route. It is a tale that contains danger, political intrigue, and a bit of romance. It begins in 1991...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive and terminal neurodegenerative disorder which affects approximately 10% of humans by the age of 65, and approximately 50% by the age of 85. Occurrences of the disease are mostly sporadic (around 99%), but there have been several well-documented cases in which the disease is hereditary (generally termed FAD – Familial Alzheimer's Disease.) The earliest observable clinical signs of AD are memory loss (caused by a decline in synaptic functioning) followed by changes in personality, and further decline in cognitive and physical functioning. At present, there are no non-invasive surgical techniques which can lead to unambiguous diagnosis of AD – all of the data about the physical effects of the disease has been obtained post-mortem.

Because the symptoms are localised to behavioural and cognitive function, it has been shown that the pathology of AD affects the cerebral cortex – in particular, the hippocampus (which participates in long-term memory and spatial navigation), the entorhinal cortex (which forms the main input to the hippocampus and is responsible for pre-processing incoming signals – playing an important part in the process of memory consolidation) and the cholinergic synapses within the basal forebrain (impairing transmission between brain cells, and consequently the sufferer's learning ability.) The primary effects of AD result from the disruption of neural circuitry, resulting in dysfunction of these areas.

As Alzheimer observed in his original characterisation of the disease, there are two structures characteristic of the AD-affected brain:

- “Tangled bundles of fibrils”, now known as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). These are intracellular accretions of cytoskeletal matter present within the cytoplasm, which have an ordered structure consisting of paired helical filaments. The major component is an abnormally-phosphorylated τ protein (PH-τ), normally associated with microtubules. NFTs damage neurons by disrupting the transportation of cellular components, leading to neuronal degeneration.

- “Miliary foci resulting from the deposit of a unique substance”, now known as senile plaques (SPs). These are complex structures found in the neuropil, consisting of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) oligomers, abnormal neurites and glial cells. Formation occurs in several steps – deposition of Aβ in the form of a diffuse plaque; transformation of diffuse plaques into insoluble fibrils; and association of dystrophic neurites with the plaque, which may represent the degeneration of Aβ-damaged neuronal components.

(It is believed that Aβ deposition is a major pathological event, albeit an early one – its presence in the brains of aged individuals is not always correlated to cognitive disturbance, and is not exclusive to AD by any means; more than 20 medical conditions, including Parkinson's Disease, motor-neurone disease and dialysis-related amyloidosis, result from amyloid deposits in different parts of the body.)

In the advanced stages of AD, most of the cerebral cortex (and many sub-cortical areas) contain a high density of NFTs and SPs. NFT density is highest among the paralimbic and core limbic areas, followed by multimodal and unimodal association areas – it is lowest within the sensorimotor areas. Generally, the occurrence of NFTs is correlated to neuronal and synaptic loss, and - oh right, the question. When I was about five or six, I played a shepherd in the school nativity play. I was great, but the kid playing Joseph started crying halfway through the production and wouldn't stop. Haha, the twat.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Tue 31 Mar 2009, 1:23, 3 replies)

I love this!
;-)
(Lizard King, Tue 31 Mar 2009, 10:07, closed)

I found it
Suprisingly interesting, given my grandfather showed early signs until he passed away.

And I can pretend I'm House solving a case.
( Rookie You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel, Tue 31 Mar 2009, 10:28, closed)

I've learned something today
cheers.
( SpankyHanky, Tue 31 Mar 2009, 12:33, closed)