Cognition and Dementia

Question 1

What is cognition?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 1

• Cognition includes basic mental processes such as sensation, attention, and perception.
• It also encompasses complex mental operations like memory, learning, language use, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, and intelligence.

Question 2

What role does sensation play in cognition?

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Cognition & Dementia

Answer 2

• Sensation is the initial process of detecting and encoding environmental stimuli, serving as the first step in cognition.

Question 3

What is the role of attention in cognition?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 3

• Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things.

Question 4

How does perception function in cognition?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 4

• Perception involves interpreting and organizing sensory information to understand its meaning and context, forming a cognitive interpretation of our environment.

Question 5

What is the role of memory in cognition?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 5

• Memory allows for the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information, facilitating learning and knowledge retention.

Question 6

How does problem solving manifest in cognitive processes?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 6

• Problem solving involves using information and reasoning to make decisions or find solutions to complex issues.

Question 7

What is the significance of decision making in cognition?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 7

• Decision making is the process of choosing between alternatives based on reasoning and preferences, crucial for everyday actions and responses.

Question 8

What is MCI ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 8

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a state intermediate between normal cognition and dementia, with essentially preserved functional abilities.

Question 9

How does MCI affect daily functioning?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 9

Individuals with MCI generally maintain their daily living skills and independence, despite experiencing some cognitive decline.

Question 10

What is the likelihood of MCI progressing to dementia ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 10

- Approximately 10-15% of individuals with MCI develop dementia each year, and about one-third of those with MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease develop dementia within five years.

Question 11

What percentage of U.S. adults over 65 have mild cognitive impairment ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 11

• 22% of U.S. adults over 65 have mild cognitive impairment.

Question 12

What percentage of U.S. adults ages 65 and older have dementia ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 12

• 10% of U.S. adults ages 65 and older have dementia.

Question 13

What is the annual progression rate from MCI to dementia ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 13

An estimated 10-15% of individuals living with MCI develop dementia each year.

Question 14

How many people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 14

Worldwide, 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Question 15

What is sustained attention ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 15

- Sustained attention is the capacity to attend to relevant information during continuous activity without getting distracted.

Question 16

What is focused or selective attention ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 16

- Focused or Selective attention is the ability to concentrate on a specific task while ignoring surrounding distractions.

Question 17

What is alternating attention ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 17

- Alternating attention is the ability to switch focus between tasks, adapting responses according to the demands of each task.

Question 18

What is divided attention ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 18

- Divided attention involves managing multiple tasks at once, responding simultaneously to two or more relevant stimuli or tasks.

Question 19

What are some clinical examples of challenges with attention ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 19

- A patient may struggle to stay focused on a TV program, stop a dressing activity to talk, or have difficulty with complex activities like cooking or driving due to issues with different types of attention.

Question 20

How is memory defined in cognitive processes ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 20

- Memory is defined as the mental process that allows an individual to store experiences and perceptions for recall at a later time.

Question 21

What is the role of learning in memory ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 21

- Learning is a crucial element of memory which involves acquiring new information or modifying existing knowledge.

Question 22

What does storage or retention mean in the context of memory ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 22

- Storage or retention is the phase of memory where learned information is held over time, ready for retrieval when needed.

Question 23

What is involved in the retrieval or recall process of memory ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 23

- Retrieval or recall is the process of accessing stored information from memory, which is crucial for using learned knowledge in practical applications.

Question 24

What is immediate recall in memory ?

Cognition & Dementia

Answer 24

- Immediate recall involves the retention of information for a very short duration, typically just a few seconds.

Question 25

Define short-term memory. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 25

**-** **Short-term memory** mediates the retention of events or learning that occurred within a short timeframe, such as a few minutes or hours.

Question 26

What is a clinical example of difficulties with immediate recall **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 26

**-** A patient may not remember instructions given just seconds before by a therapist for what to do next, indicating immediate recall issues.

Question 27

Give a clinical example of short-term memory issues. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 27

**-** A therapist may find that a patient has forgotten how to perform a newly learned transfer technique the day after it was taught.

Question 28

What characterizes long-term memory **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 28

**-** **Long-term memory** involves the retention of information acquired over a long period, such as days, months, or years.

Question 29

Provide a clinical example of long-term memory problems. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 29

**-** Patients may struggle to recall significant past events like a child’s birth or their own work experiences, especially common in cases of brain injury or Alzheimer’s disease.

Question 30

What are executive functions in cognitive psychology **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 30

**-** **Executive functions** are capacities that enable a person to engage successfully in independent, purposive, self-serving behavior, including volition, planning, purposive action, and effective performance.

Question 31

What is ***volition*** in the context of executive functions **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 31

**-** **Volition** is the capacity to determine one's own needs and wants, essential for initiating and choosing tasks.

Question 32

Describe the ***planning*** component of executive functions. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 32

**-** **Planning** involves identifying and organizing the steps and elements needed to carry out an intention or achieve a goal.

Question 33

What does **purposive action** mean within executive functions **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 33

**-** **Purposive action** includes productivity and self-regulation. * The ability to initiate, maintain, switch, and stop complex actions in an orderly manner to achieve specific goals.

Question 34

What is meant by **effective performance** in executive functions **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 34

**-** **Effective performance** refers to the capacity for quality control, including self-monitoring and self-correction of one's behavior.

Question 35

Provide a clinical example of executive dysfunction. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 35

**-** Family and hospital staff may note a patient's poor judgment, difficulty adapting to new situations, or a lack of attention to the needs and feelings of others, indicating issues with executive functions.

Question 36

What is dementia **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 36

**-** **Dementia** is a general term for the decline in cognitive ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, characterized by memory loss, impaired judgment, and deteriorated reasoning.

Question 37

How does dementia affect daily life and independence **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 37

**-** Dementia leads to impairments in daily life and independent function, affecting behavior, feelings, and relationships.

Question 38

What causes dementia **?** | bad card ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 38

**-** Dementia is caused by abnormal brain changes, leading to a decline in cognitive abilities across multiple areas.

Question 39

What are the key features of Alzheimer's disease **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 39

**-** Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the buildup of ***amyloid plaques*** and ***[tau tangles](https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-dementia-tau-ts.pdf)*** in the brain, leading to severe symptoms like disorientation and memory loss.

Question 40

What is frontotemporal dementia **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 40

**-** **Frontotemporal dementia** * Involves atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, significantly affecting **behavior** and **language comprehension**.

Question 41

Describe Lewy body dementia. ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 41

**-** **Lewy body dementia** is caused by deposits of the protein [alpha-synuclein](https://www.parkinson.org/blog/science-news/plastic-waste?utm_source=google&utm_medium=adgrant&utm_campaign=&utm_term=alpha%20synuclein%20protein&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw26KxBhBDEiwAu6KXt6z02wJZ7GYOpE92Ep98x3DiIuQpOBSAxNQkjH3-jNwdxeL8FrjEyxoC9CEQAvD_BwE) in the brain, leading to movement symptoms, hallucinations, and sleep disorders.

Question 42

What is vascular dementia **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 42

**-** **Vascular dementia** is caused by damage to blood vessels in the brain, impairing blood flow and leading to cognitive decline.

Question 43

What is mixed dementia **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 43

**-** **Mixed dementia** is a condition in which abnormalities linked to more than one type of dementia occur simultaneously. * Often involving ***Alzheimer’s disease*** and ***vascular dementia*** .

Question 44

How prevalent is Alzheimer’s disease among dementia cases **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 44

**-** Alzheimer's disease accounts for **60-80%** of dementia cases, making it the most common form of dementia among older adults.

Question 45

What are the symptoms of advanced Alzheimer's disease **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 45

**-** As Alzheimer's progresses, it leads to increasingly severe symptoms including deepening confusion, unfounded suspicions about family or caregivers, and serious memory and behavior changes.

Question 46

Differentiate MCI **vs.** Dementia ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 46

**-** **MCI**: Cognitive changes are of concern to individual and/or family. **-** **Dementia**: Cognitive impairment severe enough to infere with everyday abilities.

Question 47

# Signs of.... * Healthy aging = **?** * MCI = **?** * Dementia = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 47

**a**) **Healthy aging**: * Sometimes forgetting which words to use. * Losing thngs from time to time. * Missing a monthly payment occasionally. **b**) **MCI**: * Difficulty coming with words * Losing things often **^** * Forgetting to fo to important events **^** **c**) **Dementia**: * Losing things often **^** * Forgetting to fo to important events **^** * Trouble having a conversation and/or reading and writing * Asking the same question or repeating the same story over and over. * Difficulty with basic daily activities. * Problems handling money or paying bills. * Becoming lost in familiar places. * Hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

Question 48

# Cognitive Domain = **Complex attention** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 48

**Complex attention** - Changes in everyday activities: * Normal tasks take longer, especially when there are competing stimuli * Easily distracted, tasks need to be simplified * Difficulty holding information in mind to do mental calculations or dial a phone number

Question 49

# Cognitive Domain = **Executive functioning** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 49

**Executive functioning** - Changes in everyday activities: * Diffculty with multi-stage tasks * " " Planning * " " Organizing * " " Multitasking * " " Following directions * " " Keeping up with shifting conversations

Question 50

# Cognitive Domain = **Learning and memory** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 50

**Learning and memory** - Changes in everyday activities: * Difficulty recalling recent events * Repeating self * Misplacing objects * Losing track of actions already performed * Increasing reliance on lists/reminders

Question 51

# Cognitive Domain = **Language** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 51

**Language** - Changes in everyday activities: * Word-finding difficulty * Use of general phrases or wrong words * Grammatical errors * Difficulty with comprehension of others' language or written material.

Question 52

# Cognitive Domain = **Perceptual-motor/visuospatial function** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 52

**Perceptual-motor/visuospatial function** - Changes in everyday activities: * Getting lost in familiar places * More use of notes and maps * Difficulty using familiar tools and appliances

Question 53

# Cognitive Domain = **Social cognition** Changes in everyday activities = **?** ## Footnote *Cognition & Dementia*

Answer 53

**Social cognition** - Changes in everyday activities: * Disinhibition or apathy * Loss of empathy * Inappropriate behavior * loss of judgement