Lecture 9.2: The Ageing Brain and Dementia Flashcards
What is Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases that cause symptoms of progressive and largely irreversible clinical syndrome that is characterised by global deterioration in intellectual function, behaviour and personality in the presence of normal consciousness and perception
What is Delerium?
An acutely disturbed state of mind characterised by restlessness, illusions and incoherence caused by an underlying condition or event in vulnerable people
Most common causes of Dementia (6)
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular Dementia
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Plus Mixed Dementia
Symptoms of Minor Problems with Cognition (5)
- Memory –forgetting recent events or repeating the
same question - Reasoning, planning or problem-solving – struggling
with thinking things through - Attention - being very easily distracted
- Language - taking much longer than usual to find the
right word for something - Visual depth perception - struggling to interpret an
object in 3D, judge distances or navigate stairs
Why are MCIs clinically relevant?
An individual with MCI is more likely to develop dementia
Risk Factors for Dementia: Non-Modifiable (6)
- Age
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Learning Disability e.g Trisomy 21
- Gender M<F
- Genetics
- Ethnicity
Risk Factors for Dementia: Modifiable (9)
- High Alcohol Intake
- Cognitive Inactivity & Educational Attainment
- Depression
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Hyperlipidaemia
- Obesity
- Physical Inactivity
- Smoking
- Social Isolation
Progressive Stages of Dementia: Early Features
- Loss of memory for recent events
- Global disruption of personality
- Gradual development of abnormal behaviour
Progressive Stages of Dementia: Intermediate Features
- Loss of intellect
- Mood changes blunting of emotions
- Cognitive impairment with failure to learn
Progressive Stages of Dementia: Late Features
- Reduction in self-care
- Restless wandering
- Incontinence
What percentage of dementias are Alzheimers Disease?
50-60%
What type of dementia can present with young onset?
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
What are some other causes of Dementia? (8)
- Huntingtons Disease
- Prion Diseases
- Chronic Inflammation
- Toxic Poisoning of the Brain
- Infection
- Malignancy
- Trauma
- Metabolic
What is Alzheimer’s Disease characterised by deterioration in? (3)
- Thinking
- Conceiving
- Reasoning
What are some Non-Cognitive Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease? (5)
- Agitation
- Behavioural
- Depression
- Delusions
- Hallucinations