1. Describe the mechanisms of the cited diseases/illnesses/disorder.

A. Base Excision Repair

Alterations in base excision repair (BER) function have been linked to
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and other neurological
disorders. Cell types affected by AD include: locus coeruleus, the nuclei of the
brain stem (e.g., raphe nucleus), reticular formation, amygdala, substantia nigra,
striatum, hypothalamus, thalamus, and claustrum, and select regions of the cerebral
cortex. The neuronal types affected vary by region according to the expression of
neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and neuropeptides. The degenerative process
results in cerebral atrophy and neuron loss.
AD patients have a less level of OGG1 and higher levels of 8-oxoG, suggesting
dysfunctional BER. AD displays pol β expression levels of around 25% compared
to healthy individuals within homogenized brain samples.
Transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s Disease indicated that amyloid plaques
occur in the vicinity of structural changes capable of altering brain function,
including neurite dystrophy and spine loss. Synapse loss is likely a morphological
reflection of the synaptic dysfunction that begins early in the disease. Synaptic loss
strongly correlates with cognitive deficits in AD.

2. provide pictures or figures

3. How to handle the following diseases/illnesses/disorders

Alzheimer's disease is complex, and the best strategy to prevent or delay it
may turn out to be a combination of measures. A recent review of research looked
carefully at the evidence on ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer's dementia or age-
related cognitive decline. Led by a committee of experts from the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), the review found
"encouraging but inconclusive" evidence for three types of interventions:
● Increased physical activity
● Blood pressure control for people with high blood pressure (also called
hypertension)
● Cognitive training
The evidence for other interventions, such as medications and diet, was not as
strong. However, scientists are continuing to explore these and other possible
preventions.

4. Diagnosis to perform to check the individual having those

diseases/illnesses/disorders
Doctors use several methods and tools to help determine whether a person
who is having memory problems has “possible Alzheimer’s dementia” (dementia
may be due to another cause), “probable Alzheimer’s dementia” (no other cause
for dementia can be found), or some other problem.
To diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors may:

● Ask the person and a family member or friend questions about overall
health, use of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diet, past medical
problems, ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and
personality
● Conduct tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and
language
● Carry out standard medical tests, such as blood and urine tests, to identify
other possible causes of the problem
● Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET), to rule
out other possible causes for symptoms

References:

Vogt, B.A., et al. (2001) Patterns of cortical neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s

disease: subgroups, subtypes, and implications for staging strategies. In: Hof
PR, Mobbs CV, editors. Functional neurobiology of aging. San Diego, San
Francisco, New York, Boston, London, Sydney, Tokyo: Academic Press;
2001. pp. 111–130.

Tsai, J., et al. (2004) Fibrillar amyloid deposition leads to local synaptic
 abnormalities and breakage of neuronal branches. Nat Neurosci.
2004;7:1181–1183. doi: 10.1038/nn1335.

Sliwinska, A., et al. (2016) The levels of 7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine (8-oxoG) and

8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1) - A potential diagnostic
biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. J Neurol Sci. 2016;368:155–9. doi:
10.1016/j.jns.2016.07.008.

Shao, C., et al. (2008) Altered 8-oxoguanine glycosylase in mild cognitive

impairment and late-stage Alzheimer’s disease brain. Free Radic Biol Med.
2008;45(6):813–9. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2008.06.003.

Weissman, L., et al. (2007) Defective DNA base excision repair in brain from
individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35(16):5545–55. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkm605.

U.S. Department of Health &Human Services (2017, May 22) How Is Alzheimer's
Disease Diagnosed?. NIH National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-diagnosed