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What happens during the late stages of Alzheimer disease?
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Alzheimer disease
Histopathologic image of neuritic plaques in the cerebral cortex in a patient with Alzheimer disease of presenile onset (onset before age 65).
In the advanced stages of Alzheimer disease, the condition progresses from the earlier symptoms of memory loss and cognitive decline to a state characterized by unresponsiveness, a loss of mobility, and the loss of control over bodily functions.1
This stage represents the culmination of a disease process that involves the widespread destruction of nerve cells and neural connections within the cerebral cortex, leading to a significant reduction in overall brain mass. The disease course typically lasts between 2 and 20 years, ultimately resulting in death.21