Osteological Markers of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Cobb Collection

Undergraduate #10
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Biochemistry (not Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics)

Sabriyya Willis - Howard University

---

Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with behavior, memory, and thinking. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms worsen over time. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease; however there are treatments that can slow the worsening symptoms. When left untreated, Alzheimer’s disease is fatal. The average person with Alzheimer’s disease lives roughly eight years after symptoms have became exceptionally noticeable. In addition, Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States of America. This study analyzes observations of skeletal Alzheimer’s disease of deceased African American individuals dating back to the 1930’s. The manifestation of Alzheimer’s often leaves osteological markers such as loss of bone density. Using established anatomical methodology and pathological reports, I aim to analyze the osteological markers of Alzheimer’s disease, generate individual case studies for the Alzheimer’saffected individuals in the Cobb Lab, and prepare for subsequent biomolecular DNA analysis.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): The W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory

Faculty Advisor: Fatimah Jackson,