Turkish Journal of
GERIATRICS

Hacettepe Ãœniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Nöroloji Anabilim Dalı Emekli Öğretim Ãœyesi Ankara “Alois” Alzheimer (14 June 1864 – 19 December 1915) was a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist. Alzheimer is credited with identifying the first published case of “presenile dementia”, which Kraepelin would later identify as Alzheimer's disease. Alois Alzheimer observed a patient at the Frankfurt named Auguste D (Deter). The 51-year-old patient had strange behavioral symptoms, including a loss of short-term memory. In April 1906, Deter died and Alzheimer had the patient records and the brain brought to Munich where he was working at Kraepelin's lab. He would use the staining techniques to identify amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. A speech given on November 1906 was the first time the pathology and the clinical symptoms of the disease were presented together. Alzheimer's disease destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Has no current cure. Keywords : Alzheimer Disease/history; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Neurology/history