Alzheimer's disease affecting the hippocampus, illustration - stock illustration

Illustration showing Alzheimer's disease affecting the hippocampus. Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the loss of brain tissue. This leads to the progressive and irreversible loss of mental functions and in particular of memory. Alzheimer's disease is caused by neuron and synapse degeneration and the formation of protein plaques in the brain. It is the most common cause of dementia in humans.