Three major competing hypotheses exist to explain the cause of the disease. The oldest, on which most currently available drug therapies are based, is the cholinergic hypothesis, which proposes that Alzheimer's Disease is caused by reduced synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The cholinergic hypothesis has not maintained widespread support, largely because medications intended to treat acetylcholine deficiency have not been very effective. Other cholinergic effects have also been proposed, for example, initiation of large-scale aggregation of amyloid, leading to generalised neuroinflammation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease

1. First identified: 1906
2. Named after: Alois Alzheimer
3. Typical onset: Memory Loss
4. Survival rate: Terminal
5. Data: An estimated 26.6 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's in 2006; this number may quadruple by 2050.

• As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s

1. Alzheimer's Data: • As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s. • Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older. • Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s. • Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death. • The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year. These are just a few of the facts in our new report, 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease F http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_fa...