Alzheimer’s disease is a form of many different diseases of the brain that cause people to experience serious memory loss and confusion. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition that affects a person’s brain cells. This means that the brain cells gradually die and more parts of the brain become damaged. The person’s symptoms will eventually become worse. The early stages of Alzheimer’s disease may become forgetful or have difficulty finding the right words for everything. One of the first symptoms is the loss of short-term memory (the ability to remember recent events). People with Alzheimer’s disease have a shortage of important chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are responsible for the transmission of messages with the brain. These messages control functions such as memory, ability to think clearly, speech, and movement.