Alzheimer's Disease Flashcards
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is part of a clinical spectrum that includes _____ (3)
- Vascular Dementia
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Lewy Body Dementia
_____ dementia results from impaired blood flow to the brain
Vascular dementia
_____ dementia is characterized as the progressive loss of cell function in the frontal and temporal lobes
Frontotemporal dementia
______ dementia is characterized by abnormal deposits of alpha-synuclein
Lewy Body Dementia
What is the greatest risk factor for developing dementia?
- Age
- 65 or older
What are the 6 criteria that could be seen in order to diagnose dementia? Clinically, 2 of the 6 must be met.
- Loss of perceptual-motor function
- Language impairment
- Loss of learning and memory
- Loss of social cognition
- Loss of complex attenuation
- Loss of executive function
What are some characteristics and symptoms of Frontotemporal dementia? (4)
- Changes in behavior
- Poor judgment
- Loss of moral reasoning
- Loss of inhibition
What are some characteristics and symptoms of Vascular dementia? (4-ish)
- Loss of memory (less so than in AD)
- Poor judgment
- Mood changes (more so than AD)
- Variety of other symptoms depending on area of the brain that is affected
What are some characteristics and symptoms of Lewy body dementia? (4)
- Visual hallucinations
- Sleep disturbances
- Motor control problems
- Mental changes
Explain the preclinical phase of AD
- Atrophy begins in entorhinal cortex which spreads to hippocampus
- Spreads throughout the brain from hippocampus
- Process starts 10-20 years before symptoms appear
- Ends with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
What are the symptoms of the moderate stage of AD? (10)
- Increasing memory loss and confusion
- Shortened attention span
- Problem recognizing friends and family
- Difficulty with language
- Difficulty with organizing thoughts and thinking logically
- Inability to learn or cope with new situations
- Restlessness, agitation, anxiety, etc.
- Repetitive statements and movements
- Hallucinations, delusions, etc.
- Perceptual-motor problems
What are the symptoms of the late stage of AD? (6)
- Loss of sense of self
- Weight loss
- Seizures and dysphagia
- Groaning, moaning, and grunting
- Increased sleep
- Lack of bladder and bowel control
What is the main characteristic molecular marker for diagnosing AD?
Amyloid (Aβ) plaques
What other disease are amyloid plaques present aside from AD?
Down syndrome
How is Aβ produced?
Cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP)
