The Neuropathological and Biological Impacts of Alzheimer’s Disease on Spatial Memory: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction:The effects of spatial memory on Alzheimer's disease (AD) pose a great hazard to the emotional and physical wellbeing of the patient and their families, affecting more than 60% of individuals with AD. This review explores the neuropathological and biological foundations of spatial memory with relation to AD. Methods: The results in the 11 papers (7 animal studies, 4 clinical studies) will be described, examined, and compared with each other, and attempt to pinpoint areas for future research. Results: Results from animal studies showed that neurotransmitter function, protein function, and calcium regulation are all impaired by AD, which lowers the spatial memory and cognition in animals. In clinical studies, it was found that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex, are compromised by AD and relate to spatial memory performance. Discussion: This review concluded that more clinical research should be conducted around spatial memory, and animal research can explore the role of protein function given the relevance of neuropathology in AD. Conclusion:With the information collected in this review, future steps can be taken to explore the intricacies of spatial memory and AD. Moreover, this review also poses a useful reference for other researchers examining the relation between spatial memory and AD.