Brain degeneration diseases should be paid attention to, be understood in order to prevent and find appropriate treatment. Besides having a bright quality of life, the brain also needs to be bright to think, analyze, and distinguish different matters in everyday life well.

Understanding the degradation of brain diseases, 3M includes Memory (Alzheimer’s disease), Moving (Parkinson’s disease), and Multiple Sclerosis (MS or inflammatory nerve sheath disease) should take care of the brain since working age because the brain has the function to control the body’s functions, commands, movements, behaviors, and various duties. But as age increases, the brain degenerates with age, making the incidence of brain diseases always increasing. Therefore, it is even more necessary to observe symptoms and diagnose before the disease symptoms spread too far to prevent and treat.

Understand Alzheimer’s in Time

The phenomenon of memory loss disease or Alzheimer’s that occurs with Thais has been a long-standing health problem threatening Thais, which is caused by abnormalities of brain cells being destroyed by many causes, such as aging, genetics, brain accidents, cerebrovascular disease, etc. This disease has a long duration of disease development of 15-20 years before showing clear symptoms. It was found that people who are 65 years old and above would have Alzheimer’s dementia by 10%, whereas those who are 85 years old and above have a chance of having Alzheimer’s dementia by 40-50%. Studies have found that symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia begin with memory regression from the age of 50 and up, which is difficult to diagnose from age-related memory regression. From the symptoms of memory regression that are the onset of Alzheimer’s dementia, studies have shown nearly 50 million Alzheimer’s patients worldwide, and in Thailand, it is expected that the number of Alzheimer’s patients will significantly increase within the next 10 years.

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s dementia decisively, but research studies have found that if it is diagnosed as memory decline in the group at risk of Alzheimer’s dementia early before the disease occurs, it is possible to delay the disease by taking good care of themselves, including taking preventive medications to slow down the disease. The problem nowadays is that most patients do not know they are at risk for this disease, let it become dementia, which is beyond treatment. Hence, screening for risk from the age of 50 is considered the most effective preventive treatment method.

If it is possible to diagnose the risk group that causes dementia early, it allows doctors to plan treatment and patients to adjust their lifestyle behaviors to help slow down the disease effectively, such as reading books, working without retiring themselves, playing games that require calculation, socializing, taking good care of mental health, thinking positively, reducing stress, eating nutritious food, good sleep, and regular exercise, etc., which will help slow down or alleviate the symptoms of degeneration that will occur.

Do Not Underestimate Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common brain disease after Alzheimer’s and is expected to increase at a high rate. Parkinson’s disease is classified as a movement disorder (Motor System Disorders), which the medical community has not been able to definitively identify the cause of the disease, but it is believed to be caused by insufficient production of ‘dopamine’ by brain cells, requiring brain scanning (CT Scan or MRI Scan) and radiation scanning technology F-DOPA PET Scan which the medical community has not been able to definitively identify the cause of the disease but it is believed to be caused by insufficient production of ‘dopamine’ by brain cells, requiring brain scanning (CT Scan or MRI Scan) and radiation scanning technology F-DOPA PET Scan

For the diagnosis of brain function and the measurement of dopamine levels, the role of dopamine is to be a neurotransmitter produced in the brain, helping muscles move in balance and coordination. When this substance is lacking, patients will have neurological abnormalities controlling movement, resulting in the following symptoms:

• Tremor at hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face
• Muscle stiffness (Rigidity) arms, legs, or body cannot move
• Slowed movement (Bradykinesia)
• Loss of balance (Postural Instability)
• Muscles do not coordinate

As these symptoms become more severe, patients will have difficulty walking, speaking, or performing simple daily routines, have problems swallowing, chewing, speaking, urinating, constipation, memory confusion, depression, mood swings, and insomnia among others.

Currently, the medical field has new technology to track the progression of the disease in patients, namely the Parkinson Kinetic Graphy (PKG: Parkinson Kinetic Graphy), which is a record of Parkinson’s kinetic graphs that will be used to evaluate the movement of patients all day and every day automatically, similar to a watch worn on the wrist of Parkinson’s patients for about 6 – 10 days. And when the patient returns the data recorder, the doctor will know about changes in movement after the patient takes levodopa each day, including the device will alert, record of drug intake in Parkinson’s patients for future treatment planning.

Do Not Neglect MS

MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is a disease caused by inflammation of the nerve sheath in the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown, but it is believed that it may be caused by several factors, including environmental factors, genetics, certain virus infections, low levels of vitamin D in the body, or abnormalities in the body’s immune system.

70% of MS patients experience symptoms between the ages of 20-40 years, which is the working-age population. It was found that 3 out of 4 MS patients are affected by their ability to work. More than 30% of untreated MS patients will become disabled within 20-25 years after the first symptom onset, found more in women than men by about 2 times, including the genetic transmission possibility if parents or siblings are patients is about 1%.

The specific characteristics of MS are that it often finds neurological abnormalities occurring occasionally, resulting from inflammation of the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves related to vision. The damage caused by the destruction of the nerve sheath will slow down or obstruct the signal transmission between central nervous system cells to different parts of the body.

The symptoms caused by the relapse of the disease vary in each patient, but often found include

• Problems with walking, muscle cramps, leg twitching, urinary retention
• Numbness, weakness, or feeling like being stabbed with pain in the neck and middle back
• Vision problems, sudden blurred vision, double vision, distorted colors
• Balance problems, difficulty balancing characteristic is often bad and then improves on its own, then relapse symptoms repeat in the same position or a new position

Therefore, one must always observe oneself because these symptoms may be a sign of MS. Since the exact cause of MS is still unknown, it cannot be prevented. It is best to take care of one’s health, whether it is regular exercise, eating nutritious food, reducing, quitting alcohol and cigarettes, getting enough rest, and not stressing. Also, when abnormalities occur with the body, prompt consultation with a doctor would be the best way to prevent MS and other serious diseases.