Alzheimer's disease

American  

[ahlts-hahy-merz, alts-, awlts-] / ˈɑlts haɪ mərz, ˈælts-, ˈɔlts- /

Or Alzheimer disease

noun

Pathology.

1. a common form of dementia, believed to be caused by changes in the brain, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.

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Alzheimer's disease British  

/ ˈæltsˌhaɪməz /

noun

1. Often shortened to: Alzheimer's.  a disorder of the brain resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and physical abilities and eventual dementia

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Alzheimer's disease Scientific  

/ äls′hī-mərz /

1. A progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, commonly affecting the elderly, and associated with the development of amyloid plaques in the cerebral cortex. It is characterized by confusion, disorientation, memory failure, speech disturbances, and eventual dementia. The cause is unknown. Alzheimer's disease is named for its identifier, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915).

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Alzheimer's disease Cultural  

1. A disease in which mental capacity decreases because of the breakdown of brain cells.

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Discover More

Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of loss of intellectual function in middle-aged and elderly people.

Etymology

Origin of Alzheimer's disease

Named after Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), German neurologist, who described it in 1907

Example Sentences

When this modified protein was introduced into a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, brain immune cells showed much lower levels of inflammation.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

Researchers have linked this phenomenon to several diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

"This is a new and important therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease," says senior author Stuart Lipton, the Step Family Foundation Endowed Chair at Scripps Research and a clinical neurologist.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

Scientists have increasingly explored treatments that target more than one aspect of Alzheimer's disease at the same time.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

“Because he has something called Alzheimer’s disease, Merci,” he says.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina