Ch 60: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, and Delirium Flashcards
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
Chronic, progressive, degenerative disease of the brain
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
rare and fatal brain disorder caused by a prion protein
Delirium
state of temporary but acute mental confusion
a common, life threatening, preventable syndrome
Dementia
Syndrome characterized by dysfunction or loss of memory, orientation, attention, language, judgment, and reasoning
Dementia with Lewy bodies
condition characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies in the brainstem and cortex
Familial Alzheimer’s Disease
clear pattern of Alzheimer’s inheritance
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)
clinical syndrome associated with shrinking of the frontal and temporal anterior lobes of the brain
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
second stage in the AD spectrum, state of cognitive function in which individuals have problems with memory, language, or another essential cognitive function that are severe enough to be noticeable to others and show up on tests but not severe enough to interfere with activities of daily living
Mixed dementia
occurs when two or more types of dementia are present at the same time
Neurofibrillary tangles
abnormal collection of twisted protein threads inside nerve cells
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
uncommon disorder characterized by an obstruction in the flow of CSF
causes a buildup of CSF in the brain
Retrogenesis
process in AD patients in which degenerative changes occur in the reverse order in which they were acquired
Sundowning
when patients become more confused or agitated in the late afternoon or evening
Vascular dementia
Multiinfarct dementia, loss of cognitive function resulting from ischemic or hemorrhagic brain lesions cause by cardiovascular disease
Lewy bodies
abnormal deposits of the protein α-synuclein
