Depiction of Alzheimer’s Disease in The Film The Notebook

In another poignant scene, Noah and Allie share a dinner together. Following their meal, Noah switches on the radio to play a song from their youth, a tune they had always danced to. He invites Allie to dance, and it is in this moment that her memories of Noah are rekindled. The song not only acts as a trigger for her recollection of Noah but also ignites the realization that the story he had been reading to her was their own love story. Although Allie struggles with the specific details of her relationship with Noah, she vividly recalls the emotions associated with dancing with him. The act of dancing with Noah during her youth and the intense emotions she experienced during those moments enable her to remember him in this instance. This scenario exemplifies the profound influence of emotions on memory encoding and retrieval, highlighting the concept of mood congruence. Allie's ability to recall the memory of Noah is facilitated because her emotional state while dancing matches the emotions she felt when the memory was initially formed in the past. Overall, this scene underscores the power of emotion in shaping the encoding and retrieval of memories, even for individuals like Allie who are grappling with Alzheimer's disease.

In terms of the neural basis, Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disorder characterized by the progressive loss of memory and cognitive functions. Allie's memory decline is attributed to the degeneration of neurons and synapses in her cerebral cortex. As neurons undergo apoptosis, the cortical tissue becomes thinner compared to that of individuals without Alzheimer's disease. With the advancement of the disease, neuronal death intensifies, leading to atrophy in key brain regions, including the temporal lobe, frontal cortex, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, and parietal lobe. This extensive loss of synapses and neurons can be primarily attributed to the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Amyloid plaques result from the buildup of beta-amyloid proteins, which form deposits between neurons, disrupting intercellular communication and ultimately causing cell death. Neurofibrillary tangles, on the other hand, are clusters of abnormal tau protein fibers within neurons that interfere with neuronal signaling, eventually leading to cell death. While some amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are considered normal in the aging brain, individuals with Alzheimer's disease, like Allie, exhibit an abnormal accumulation of these pathological features, contributing to their neurocognitive decline.

Reflection

Regarding my assessment of "The Notebook," I find that the portrayal of Alzheimer's disease through Allie's character lacks authenticity. Alzheimer's disease encompasses a range of symptoms beyond memory loss, including difficulties in completing complex tasks, language degeneration (aphasia), impaired motor skills (apraxia), and personality changes. Allie, however, primarily exhibits memory loss and does not display these other hallmark symptoms. It seems that she was intended to depict a character in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, although the film implies that she is in a late-stage of the illness. This discrepancy is evident in her physical appearance, activity level, and the extent of her verbal communication. A person in the late stages of Alzheimer's would typically have a more deteriorated physical condition, limited activity, and reduced verbal communication. Hence, "The Notebook" not only leans heavily into clichés but also inaccurately portrays Alzheimer's disease, which may explain its 53% rating on the Tomatometer.

References

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