A typical form of Alzheimer's may be present in widespread number of patients.

Neuroscientists have defined a subtype of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that they say is neither well recognized nor appropriately treated. The variant, called hippocampal sparing AD, comprised 11% of the 1,821 AD-confirmed brains examined by Mayo Clinic researchers, suggesting that this AD subtype is relatively widespread in the general population. Individuals with hippocampal sparing AD are mostly male and are afflicted at a much younger age. Symptoms can include behavioral problems, such as frequent and sometimes profane angry outbursts, the sensation that one’s limbs do not belong to one’s body, and the belief that one is controlled by an “alien,” unidentifiable force. Individuals with this AD variant may also develop visual disturbances despite the absence of eye problems, researchers said. Individuals with hippocampal sparing AD decline at a much faster rate than individuals with the most common form of AD, which affects the hippocampus. Many individuals with this AD variant are diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which is a disorder characterized by changes in personality and social behavior, or corticobasal syndrome, which is characterized by movement disorders and cognitive dysfunction. Language dysfunction is also more common in individuals with hippocampal sparing AD, although they do not have vocal or aural deficiencies. Both hallmark proteins of AD—amyloid beta (Aß), which forms Aß plaques, and tau, which produces tangles—are found across all subtypes of AD, including hippocampal sparing AD. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 5.2 million Americans are living with AD, and with approximately one half of indiSpecialized Yoga May Improve Urinary Incontinence in Women