(HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that, over time, seriously impairs a person's ability to carry out daily activities. It is a form of dementia, whose symptoms include memory loss and changes in personality, mood and behavior.
It is not known exactly what causes Alzheimer's, but researchers believe it develops because of a complex series of events that happen in the brain over a long period of time.
The U.S. National Institute on Aging says the most common form of Alzheimer's is late-onset disease, which occurs after age 65.
Drugs such as donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), or galantamine (Razadyne) can help improve symptoms of the disease, but cannot stop it entirely.
