In the early 1900's, Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915), a German physician, described a middle-aged patient who experienced progressive problems with memory, language and behavior. After the patient died, Alzheimer identified two changes in brain tissue that are essential features of the disease that bears Alzheimer's name. Neurofibrillary (pronounced NUR-o-FI-bri-lair-ee) tangles and neuritic (pronounced NUR-rit-tic) plaques are the technical descriptions of these changes.

To picture what this means, think about some of the tangles we have all experienced in our hair or shoelaces. When we say plaques, think of dental plaque that forms on our teeth. In someone with Alzheimer's disease (AD) these tangles and plaques occur in the brain and interfere with brain functioning. Alois Alzheimer is properly recognized for his early contribution to our understanding of the symptoms and progression of AD as well as some of its underlying brain abnormalities.

An AD Plaque	An AD Tangle
Photos from Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery, U.S. National Institute on Aging, 2002

More recently, a number of other changes in brain structure and functioning have been identified. Alois Alzheimer's first observations and reports remain an accurate, although incomplete, picture of the underlying pathology of Alzheimer's disease.

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