Essay on Atzheimer´s Dementia Posterior Cortical Atrophy

This essay will discuss the form of Alzheimer’s dementia Posterior Cortical Atrophy, from the aspects of the journey by Sir Terry Pratchett. In addition the essay will discuss symptoms of the disease, pathology, and anatomical structures and locations. Sir Terry Pratchett (Pratchett, 2013) has opened a discussion about dementia due to his diagnosis of Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA). PCA is a type of condition associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that affects the parietal and occipital lobes damaging how the brain is able to process and understand visual information. This deterioration of visual processing can impact the person with PCA, in how the person can perform daily tasks such as reading, driving or even walking in certain†¦show more content†¦The occipital lobe is in a posterior position and the function of the occipital lobe is vision including perception and colour and movement (Stannard Gromisch, 2012). Atrophy is described as a process of tissue wastage or cell death (Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 2006). According to (Jones Gaillard, 2005-2013) the pathology of PCA includes Neuritic plagues and neurofibrillary tangles which are found in the parieto-occipital and temporo-occipital areas, as well as occasionally in the primary visual cortex. It is thought that PCA is a version of AD, with very little difference in the pathology. â€Å"Neuritic plagues or senile plagues are extracellular and composed of a central core of beta-amyloid peptides aggregated together with fibrils of beta-amyloid, dystrophic neurites, reactive astrocytes, phagocytic cells, and other proteins and protein fragments derived from degenerating cells or liberated from neurons† (Weerakkody Gaillard, 2005-2013). In addition PCA is identified by a significant concentration of plagues and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the occipital lobe and the parietal lobe as well as the connection known as the occipitotemporal junction ( Tsunoda, et al., 2011). The author’s go on to explain that they hypothesise that PCA is connected to AD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), corticobasal degeneration (CBD)