Behavioral Science: Dementia 1-3 Flashcards
Age-associated cognitive changes
- Difficulty retrieving words and names
- Slower processing speed
- Difficulty sustaining attention when faced with competing environmental stimuli
- Learning new shit takes more effort
- No functional impairment
Mild cognitive impairment
- memory complaint corroborated by an informant
- objective memory impairment for age and education
- preserved general cognition
- normal ADL
- NOT demented
Amnestic MCI
- Memory loss not meeting criteria for dementia
- Progresses to AD at a rate of 10-15%/year (vs. 1-3% incidence in gen pop)
- May be earliest phase of AD
- Clinical dx (no formal test)
Dementia
Memory decline/impairment and at least one of the following:
- Aphasia
- Apraxia
- Impaired executive fxn
- Agnosia
Cognitive deficits must impact social and occupational function
Dx must be made in presence of a clear sensorium
Early onset AD
- ages 30-60
- rare, MC familial
- gene mutations: 1 (presenilin 2), 14 (presenilin 1), 21 (amyloid precursor protein) are abnormal
Late onset AD
- MC form
- After age 60
- Combination of factors
- Chromosome 19- apolipoprotein E4 gene implicated
Alzheimers disease
- MCC dementia, presents w/ deficits in recent memory, progressing to global impairment of cognition
- Usually sporadic and late onset
- AD
- Neuronal and synaptic loss affecting cortical and some subcortical areas (ex. nucleus basalis of Meynert)
Gross findings of AD
Cerebral atrophy especially affecting temporal, parietal, and frontal areas, with ventricular enlargement
Microscopic findings in AD
- Amyloid plaques consisting of extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides, often associated w/ dystrophic plaques
- Amyloid Beta deposits in cortical and leptomeningeal arteries and arterioles
- Filamentous intracellular inclusions of tau protein called neurofibrillary tangles and neuropil threads
- Granulovacuolar degeneration
- Hirano bodies
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Types: Tau (MC), TDP, FUS
- Earlier onset than AD
- Lobar degeneration affects anterior frontal and superior temporal lobes, spares occipital and parietal lobes
- gross “knife edge” appearance
AD risk factors
- increasing age
- females
- family history of dementia
- less education, income, SES
- depression
- head injury
- low folate, B12
- elevated plasma homocysteine
- apolipoprotein E4 allele
- postoperative delirium
- alcohol abuse
Early symptoms of Ad
Cognitive: trouble keeping appointments, difficulty finding words, misplacing objects
Functional: difficulty driving, difficulty selecting clothes, missing appointments, problems at work
Behavioral: Subtle personality changes, social withdrawal, depression
Differences between depression v dementia
Depressed patients:
- demonstrate less motivation during cognitive testing
- Express cognitive complaints that exceed measured deficits
- Maintain language and motor skills
Brain imaging for AD
- Not routinely indicating, only considered when: focal findings on exam, rapid onset/decline, or Hx of falls/head trauma
- Nonspecific findings common in AD: lacunar infarcts, small vessel and white matter disease
Frontotemporal Dementia vs. Alzheimers
Frontotemporal dementia has:
- insidious onset, gradual progression
- early decline in social interpersonal conduct
- early impairment in regulation of personal conduct w/ lack of insight
- early emotional blunting
- characterized by behavioral abnormalities
- memory loss occurs LATER