This animation may only be used in support of a single legal proceeding and for no other purpose. Read our License Agreement for details. To license this image for other purposes, click here.
MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: The brain's cognitive functions include memory, which is the process of information retention and retrieval. Memories form in the hippocampus, which consists of information-processing cells called neurons. Each neuron receives chemical messages from other neurons via dendrites, then converts the message to an electrical charge called an action potential. In the space between them, neurons release stimulatory chemicals called neurotransmitters, which bind with receptors on the receiving cell and transfer information. Alzheimer's disease is a gradual, degenerative brain condition in which neurons in the memory and other cognitive areas of the brain lose function and die, resulting in progressive memory loss first, then difficulties learning and communicating, and, eventually, failing basic functions like breathing. In healthy neurons, enzymes help process a protein called amyloid precursor protein into fragments which help with normal cell function. In Alzheimer's, abnormal enzymatic processing produces fragments that include a sticky peptide called beta amyloid. Beta amyloid accumulates in the extracellular space, forming clumps called amyloid plaques. These clumps block the electrical and chemical connections between neurons. Inside healthy neurons, microtubules and tau proteins form an orderly structure that carries ions and nutrients within the cell. In Alzheimer's, chemical changes inside the neurons damage tau, twisting microtubules abnormally into neurofibrillary tangles, which disrupts ion and nutrient delivery within the cell. As the plaques and tangles multiply throughout brain tissue, neural connections diminish, and the malnourished cells lose function, resulting in widespread neural death, reduced brain mass, and severe cognitive and functional impairment. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but current treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, which delay the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important for memory and learning, and antiglutamatergic medications, which regulate the activity of glutamate, another neurotransmitter essential for memory and learning, by blocking excessive glutamate binding to neurons, thus preventing neuronal dysfunction and death. ♪ [music] ♪
"We are extremely pleased with the quality of the medical exhibits and the
timely manner in which they were provided. I will certainly recommend
your company to my business associates who could benefit from your services.
Please tell Brian Wilson [Director of Content Development, Senior Medical
Illustrator] that he did an exceptional job on these exhibits."
K. Henderson
Dunaway and Associates
Anderson, SC
"Your firm is great to work with and, most importantly for me, you get the
job done on time and with the utmost professionalism. You should be proud of
all those you employ, from KJ to Ben B. I've been especially pleased over
the years with the work of Brian and Alice, both of whom seem to tolerate my
idiosycratic compulsion to edit, but I've not found a bad apple in the bunch
(and, as you know, I've used your firm a bunch!).
I look forward to our continued professional relationship."
Kenneth J. Allen Kenneth Allen & Associates
Valparaiso, IN
"Our firm was able to settle our case at an all day mediation yesterday and
I am confident that the detail and overall appearance of the medical
illustrations significantly contributed to the settlement. When we require
medical illustrations in the future, I will be sure to contact [MLA]."
Noel Turner, III
Burts, Turner, Rhodes & Thompson
Spartanburg, SC
"This past year, your company prepared three medical illustrations for our cases; two in which we received six figure awards; one in which we received a substantial seven figure award. I believe in large part, the amounts obtained were due to the vivid illustrations of my clients' injuries and the impact on the finder of fact."
Donald W. Marcari Marcari Russotto & Spencer, P.C. Chesapeake, VA
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.