Experiment Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experiment Proposal - Essay Example According to Barnes, V (2004 P. 23), many times AD begins towards the age of 60 and the risk goes up as you get older. No treatment can stop the disease. However, Richmond (2006) says that, some drugs may help keep symptoms from getting worse for a limited time. This experiment will be a well-controlled study of Alzheimer patients and will take 18 months. Basically, the experiment will be aimed at studying the efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency of an experimental drug called Physostigmine in treating Alzheimers disease. The drug appears to enhance acetylcholine levels in the brain by cutting back on the effects of an enzyme known as destroy ACh. It is expected that use of Physostigmine will, in the long run, help slow the progress of the disease. The age and the ability to speak fluent English will be the independent variables while the cognitive and behavioral change will be the dependent variables. A sample of 100 will be selected from a population of Alzheimers patients who have been diagnosed and found to be having it. Care will be taken to make sure that all those that are selected to take part in this study well represent the whole population. Further, the gender of the participant will be of importance as males may be preferred as it has been happening in most cases. Probably, a sample of 50 males and 50 females will be used. All the participants will have their cognitive and behavioral characteristics tested to be aware of their level before the study after which they will undergo three steps each approximated to take six months. The drug, Physostigmine, will be administered to each patient as per prescriptions. After this, the level recogtion and behaviour change will be recorded. This will be compared to the initial results to see whether there is any tangible change. This procedure will be repeated for the second time using a different prescription and the same tests as well as comparisons carried out. The last stage will follow.