You May Not Have Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Neurologist Dr. Ken Sharlin Explains Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Do you tend to be forgetful? Are you finding you have to write things down to remember them? Unable to recall words? Distracted easily? Sometimes, when this happens, especially if you are in your 40s or 50s, you might think, what’s wrong with me? Chances are, if you’ve been touched by someone in your life who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, you might even think, am I getting Early Onset Alzheimer’s?

This is a serious question and demands a serious answer.

First of all, what is Early Onset Alzheimer’s? By definition, Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease is Alzheimer’s that affects people who are in their 40s or 50s. But, of the 5.7 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease it is thought that only 3.5% have early onset.

Presently, there are three known genes associated with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. These are Amyloid Precursor Protein mutations, Presenilin 1, and Presenilin 2. Each of these follows an Autosomal Dominant Inheritance meaning that it does run in families, and if one parent has one copy of any of these genes, and the other parent does not, there is a 25% chance of inheriting the gene and developing Alzheimer’s disease at a young age. While 25% seems like a pretty high probability the good news is that because these genes are fairly rare unless you know that one of your parents was affected at an early age chances are your brain fog is not Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease.

So, if it is more likely than not that your brain fog is not Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease, then what could be wrong? Here are some common things to consider:

It could be your food. Diets high in processed foods and sugar promote inflammation. Inflammation can also come from foods like dairy, soy, eggs, corn, and gluten (a protein found in many grains). When inflammation affects the brain, it damages it in many ways, including the energy-producing factories of the cells, called your mitochondria. Your brain demands a lot of energy for normal function, and it the mitochondria are damaged you will likely experience problems with your memory. It is also important to remember that the only reliable way to get nutrients to your tissues is through food. Consciously choosing the best quality food your budget allows will help guarantee your brain gets the nutrients it needs to function normally.

It could be your hormones. We now know that many hormones affect brain function. These include the stress hormone cortisol, thyroid hormone, and even the hormones associated with reproduction – progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen. In the brain these gonadal hormones play important roles in nerve cell growth and repair, and imbalances in all these hormones can affect learning and memory. Especially affected are women going through menopause. It now appears that women who use hormone replacement therapy during this stage in their lives can not only improve their memory in the short run but reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease in the future. Low levels of progesterone leave stress signals in the brain unbalanced. Stress puts the brain into survival mode which directly blocks the pathways that allow us to retrieve or acquire knowledge. Learn More About Our Labs

It could be your sleep. Sleep serves many critical functions for the body. The processes that allow for normal memory require sleep. The duration and quality is important. Try to get 7-8 hours. Both short- and long-term sleep deprivation has been found to destroy connections between nerve cells. It is the complexity of the connections which form the structural component of what we define as memory.

It could be your medication. If you take medicine for allergies, dizziness, or bladder control, you may be blocking a chemical in the brain called acetylcholine which is critical for normal memory function. Long-term use of these so-called “anticholinergic” drugs has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic memory loss or dementia.

Memory Loss & Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Program

At Sharlin Health and Neurology, Dr. Sharlin, a board-certified neurologist and functional medicine doctor has helped hundreds of people worried that they might have Alzheimer’s disease. With a comprehensive evaluation he has found that a significant proportion have another cause for their memory loss and through his guidance they have reversed this worrisome pattern of cognitive decline. View Alzheimer’s Treatment Program – View Memory Loss Treatment Program – View Bredesen Treatment Program