How does Alzheimer's disease spread within the human brain?

Alzheimer’s disease is like a sneaky game that starts in one part of the brain and slowly takes over more parts.

Imagine your brain is like a big playground full of kids who all know how to play together. But with Alzheimer’s, some of those kids start forgetting the rules of the game, they don’t remember where they are or what they’re supposed to do anymore. These forgetful kids are like plaque and tangles, two things that happen in the brain when Alzheimer’s is happening.

At first, just a few kids (in one area of the brain) forget the rules. They start slowing down, and others around them notice. Soon, more kids join in, they also forget the rules, and the game gets harder to play. This is how Alzheimer’s spreads, it starts small and grows bigger over time.

Think of the brain like a city with many roads. At first, only one street has traffic jams (that's where plaque and tangles start). But then the traffic jams spread to more streets, and soon, the whole city is stuck in slow motion, that’s how the brain feels when Alzheimer’s gets worse.

Every day, like playing a game, parts of the brain work together. With Alzheimer’s, they can’t do that as well, it's like trying to play tag with friends who keep forgetting where you are!