Ageing Brain and Dementia Flashcards
What are the neurocognitive domains?
- perceptual-motor function
- language
- learning and memory
- social cognition
- complex attention
- executive function
What’s involved in the perceptual-motor function domain?
- visual perception
- visuoconstructional reasoning
- perceptual-motor coordination
What’s involved in the language domain?
- object naming
- word finding
- fluency
- grammar and syntax
- receptive language
What’s involved in the learning and memory domain?
- free recall
- cued recall
- recognition memory
- semantic and autobiographical long-term memory
- implicit learning
What’s involved in the social cognition domain?
- recognition of emotions
- theory of mind
- insight
What’s involved in the complex attention domain?
- sustained attention
- divided attention
- selective attention
- processing speed
What’s involved in the executive function domain?
- planning
- decision-making
- working memory
- responding to feedback
- inhibition
- flexibility
Definition of major neurocognitive disorder?
- significant cognitive decline
- cognitive deficits interfere with independence in everyday activities
Definition of mild neurocognitive disorder?
- modest cognitive decline
- cognitive deficits don’t interfere with capacity for independence
How is dementia an umbrella term?
-used to describe any type of decline in cognitive function that causes problems with everyday activity
What are the 2 key types of dementia?
- Alzheimer disease
- vascular dementia
- may be continuum from one to the other though
What are the underlying processes in Alzheimer’s disease?
- amyloid plaques (bundles of proteins clumped outside neurones), in dementia they aren’t broken up and cleared from the brain
- inside neurones there’s neurofibrillary tangles that break up the internal structure leading to lower levels of activity and cell death (results in shrinkage of the brain)
- gross atrophy of the affected regions, including degeneration in the temporal lobe and parietal lobe and parts of frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus
What are the early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
- memory loss
- difficulty performing familiar tasks
- language problems
- disorientation with time and place
- poor/decreased judgement
- problems with abstract thought
- misplacing things
- changes in mood or behaviour
- changes in personality
- loss of initiative
Underlying processes of vascular dementia?
- hemorrhagic stroke (weakened/diseased blood vessels rupture and blood leaks into brain tissue)
- ischemic stroke (blood clots stop the flow of blood to an area of the brain)
How do lewy bodies cause different signs and symptoms of dementia?
(Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)
- results from clumps of alpha-synuclein and ubiquitin protein
- fluctuating cognition with pronounced variations in attention/alertness
- spontaneous parkinsonism
- visual hallucinations ranging from abstract shapes/colours to conversations with deceased loved ones
What’s frontotemporal dementia?
- particularly difficult to diagnose
- disinhibited ‘odd’ social behaviour
- euphoria, apathy
- repetitive compulsive behaviour
What are the growing global effects of dementia?
- as life expectancy increases so does the problems that arise with age
- those in high-income countries are more likely to suffer from noncommunal diseases associated with old age
- substantial variation by age and time, and sex and location
What are the risk factors of dementia?
- stroke
- high blood pressure/hypertension
- vitamin D
- Mediterranean diet
- alcohol consumption
- smoking
- physical activity
- cognitive activity
How might strokes lead to dementia?
-nearly doubles risk of dementia
How might high blood pressure lead to dementia?
- increases the chances of strokes
- lead to hemorrhage, retinopathy, renal failure, peripheral vascular disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, heart failure
- midlife hypertension (high blood pressure with increased dementia risk)
- late life hypertension (low blood pressure associated with highest dementia risk)
How might vitamin D lead to dementia?
-low levels lead to increased risk
How might mediterranean diet lead to dementia?
-those that eat lots of vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and fats from nuts/olive oil etc lead to lower risk
How might alcohol consumption lead to dementia?
- those that drink heavily or binge drink have higher risk of dementia than those who don’t drink
- those who drink in moderation have lowest link of developing dementia
How might smoking lead to dementia?
-passive smoke may be a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction or even dementia
How might physical activity lead to dementia?
-studies showed moderate levels of exercise have reduced risk of dementia
How might cognitive activity lead to dementia?
-stimulating the brain may help reduce the risk of dementia
