system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Does Alzheimer's merely hinder access to memories through destroyed pathways, or does it destroy stored memories, or is it a mix of both?
gpt
The brains of people with severe Alzheimer disease do actually shrink considerably as the disease progresses, with loss of cortical neurons, enlarging ventricles, etc.


Perhaps a neuroscientist can chime in on how neural pathways actually create memories, but since so many neurons are lost in severe disease, it’s likely many memories are simply destroyed rather than just suppressed (but obviously earlier in the course of the disease, persons can have more lucid days and surprise family members with things you’d thought they’d forgotten).


However, there are no lucid days at the end and it’s more about helping them to feel safe and comfortable.