PSYC 322 - Exam 3 Study Guide Past Exam QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100% score (reupdated 2025) Alzheimer's Disease (AD) What are the general trends in terms of age? - Correct Answers ✅As you get older, the numbers that start to double (older you get, more likely you'll have this condition) Rates might be slightly higher than what is actually happening ie. inflated numbers are beneficial for research agencies who seek funding (need to keep this in mind) What are the biological causes of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) - Correct Answers ✅Plaques Tangles plaques - Correct Answers ✅In healthy aging, APP trimmed flush with the cell membrane (the enzymes trim them right at the end) With AD, APP is trimmed in the wrong places, forming beta- amyloid Beta-Amyloid plaques are insoluble & may kill neurons tangles - Correct Answers ✅Looking at the axon, there are microtubules on them going down the axon to transport molecules and nutrients down the length of the axon In alz, there are tau proteins that come off of the microtubules that form these tangles, neurofibrillary tangles, 1 / 3
PSYC 322 - Exam 3 Study Guide Past Exam QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100% score (reupdated 2025) and then they do not work properly → neuron then cannot fire properly, can even eventually lead to death of the neuron as well describe the changes in the brain that are typical of AD - Correct Answers ✅Smaller brain size as well as plaques and tangles in alz brain Early Stage of Alzheimer's Disease - Correct Answers ✅Most of the time, other ppl might not even notice these changes in those around them unless they're very close or
spouse or something:
Memory loss affecting day-to-day abilities Difficulty performing familiar tasks (ie. something like getting dressed, or making a meal that you've made many times before) Problems with language (having a really tough time finding the right words that fit in the context correctly) Disorientation in time and space (feeling lost, not knowing time, day, or month) Impaired judgment → not taking certain medical issues seriously which is different than how they would have reacted before, or maybe wearing something inappropriate for the weather) Problems with abstract thinking (ie. simple arithmetic questions) 2 / 3
PSYC 322 - Exam 3 Study Guide Past Exam QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100% score (reupdated 2025) Misplacing things (in strange places, ie. socks in the fridge) Changes in mood and behaviour (changes from what is normal for them, swings, etc.) Changes in personality Loss of initiative (similar to depressive symptoms) → not feeling like doing the things they usually liked to do Middle Stage of Alzheimer's - Correct Answers ✅Typically the longest, lasting several years, but still not late stages yet
Symptoms may include:
Memory loss deepens (migth forget address of their own home, names of friends or family) Mental confusion deepens (loss of self-awareness) Friends and family notice memory lapses May become disoriented (might wander off and not know how to get home, forget date/time/year) Impaired ability to perform even simple arithmetic (even adding) May become more aggressive or passive, suspicious (partly because they might be forgetting who other people are, which develops the mistrust) Difficulty sleeping Depression
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