Ch. 18 - Disorders of Aging & Cognition

Question 1

Problems of elderly can be divided into two groups, which are:

Answer 1

1. disorders that may be common in ppl of all ages (ex: depression, anxiety, etc)
2. Disorders of cognition that result form brain abnormalities (ex: delirium, neurocog disorders)

Question 2

Depression in elderly

Answer 2

~ one of most common mental health problems in elderly
~ as many as 20% experience it
~ rate is higher in women
~ raises chances of developing significant medical problems

Question 3

Depression treatment in elderly

Answer 3

~ more than half improve with treatment

~ Antidepressants have a higher risk of causing cog impairments

Question 4

Anxiety in elderly

Answer 4

~ very common
~ 11% experience (esp GAD)
~ prevalence increases throughout old age

Question 5

Psychotic disorders in elderly

Answer 5

~ higher rate of psychotic symptoms than in younger people bc of delirium and dementia
~ schizo is less common in elderly than young

Question 6

Delusional disorder

Answer 6

~ individs develop false beliefs
~ inc. prevalence in elderly pop
related to social isolation, stress, deficiencies in hearing, etc..

Question 7

Disorders of cognition

Answer 7

~ cognitive mishaps common while aging

~ memory difficulties and lapses of attention increase and occur regularly by age 60 or 70

Question 8

Leading cognitive disorders among elderly

Answer 8

1. delirium
2. major neurocog disorder
3. mild neurocog disorder

Question 9

Delirium

Answer 9

a clouding of consciousness
~ misinterpretations
~ illusions
caused by diseases, infections, poor diet, head injuries, stress, & intoxication

Question 10

Neurocognitive disorders

Answer 10

experience decline in one or more cog areas such as memory, attention, visual perception, planning, awareness, decision making, ect.
~ may also change behavior and personality

Question 11

Major vs. Mild neurocog disorders

Answer 11

major interviews with the ability to function independently while mild does not

Question 12

Some neurocog disorders..

Answer 12

result form reversible problems (nutrition, etc) while others are caused by brain disease or injury

Question 13

Alzheimers disease

Answer 13

~ most common form of NCD accounting for as many as 2/3 of all cases
~ sometimes appears in middle age, but mostly after 65
~ prevalence inc drastically among people in 70s and 80s
~ death is typically 8-10 years after onset

Question 14

People with Alzheimers…

Answer 14

~ eventually become fully dependent on other people
~ become less aware of their limitations
~ remain in good health until later stages of the disease

Question 15

Senile Plaques

Answer 15

sphere-shaped deposits of beta-amyloid in small spaces between hippocampal cells, etc

Question 16

neurofibrillary tangles

Answer 16

twisted protein fibers within cells of hippocampus

Question 17

Alzheimers disease often has a _______ basis

Answer 17

genetic

Question 18

causes of early onset genetic alzheimers disease?

Answer 18

mutations in particular genes increase likelihood of plaque and tangle formations

Question 19

cause of late onset alzheimers

Answer 19

a mix of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors

Question 20

brain and alzheimers disease

Answer 20

affects short term and long term memory and retrieval

~ prefrontal lobes & temporal lobes are important to memory

Question 21

Several chemicals are responsible for the production of ______ in key cells when new info is aquired and stored

Answer 21

proteins

~ proper production of these proteins may be prevented causes memory interruption

Question 22

Other explanations for development of alzheimer

Answer 22

~ brain toxicity (zinc)
~ environmental toxins (lead)
~ autoimmune theory
~ viral theory

Question 23

how do u asses alzheimers?

Answer 23

~ brain scan

~ volumetric MRI of hippocampal formation

Question 24

ways to help prevent alzheimers

Answer 24

~ Mediterranean diet

~ regular aerobic exercise

Question 25

Vascular neurocog disorder

Answer 25

~ may follow stroke
~ progessive with symptoms beginning suddenly rather than gradually like alzheimers
~ brain areas not affected by stroke may function normally

Question 26

Pick’s disease

Answer 26

~ frontotemporal NCD
~ rare, affects temporal and frontal lobes
~ clinically similar to alzheimers

Question 27

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Answer 27

~ NCD due to prion disease
~ slow acting virus
~ spasms in body

Question 28

Huntington’s disease

Answer 28

~ genetically penetrant

~memory problems worsen over time along with personality changes, mood difficulties and movement problems

Question 29

Parkinson’s disease

Answer 29

~ slowly progressive ND marked by tremors, rigidity, and unsteadiness that can cause dementia

Question 30

which treatments are currently available for NCD?

Answer 30

~ drug therapy (affects acetylcholine and glutamate NT)
~ cognitive techniques
~beh interventions
~ support for caregivers
~ vitamin E
~ exercise

all moderately helpful

Question 31

NT that play an important role in memory are:

Answer 31

acetylcholine and glutamate

Question 32

caregiving

Answer 32

~ can have a heavy toll on close relatives w dementia
~ almost 90% of ppl w dementia are cared for by relatives
~ overwhelmed caregivers = institutions

Question 33

Issues affecting mental health of elderly

Answer 33

1. discrimination
   ~ double jeopardy (old and minority)
   ~ triple jeopardy (old, minority, female)