Chapter 15 - Neurocognitive disorders and ageing Flashcards
What is Crystallized Intelligence?
The ability to use knowledge to reason in familiar ways, based on knowledge from previous experience; remains stable and increases with age.
What are Neurofibrillary Tangles?
Masses created by tau proteins that twist together and destroy microtubules, disrupting the nutrient supply system in neurons, particularly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
The most common cause of dementia (3/4 of cases), characterized by increasing symptoms severity, difficulty remembering new information, and in later stages, difficulty walking, talking, and with self-care.
What is Fluid Intelligence?
The ability to create new strategies to solve new problems, relies on executive functioning; begins to decline with older age.
What is Dementia?
A set of neurocognitive disorders characterized by deficits in learning new information or recalling learned information, plus one other type of cognitive impairment, with symptoms appearing slowly over time.
What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?
A language disorder characterized by problems comprehending language and producing meaningful sentences, where speech is fluent but nonsensical (word salad).
What is Delirium?
A disturbance in attention and awareness with disruption of at least one other aspect of cognitive function, developing rapidly with fluctuating symptoms, common in elderly, terminally ill, and post-surgical patients.
What are Neurocognitive Disorders?
Psychological disorders characterized by significantly reduced mental abilities relative to one’s prior level of functioning, including changes in cognitive functioning, possible unusual behaviour, mood changes, and unusual mental disorders.
What are Amyloid Plaques?
Protein fragments that accumulate on the outside of neurons, especially in the hippocampus, associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Broca’s Aphasia?
A language disorder characterized by problems producing speech, where individuals speak slowly, with choppy, telegraphic speech, potentially caused by damage to the frontal lobe.
What is Aphasia?
A neurological condition characterized by problems using language, which can affect speech production or comprehension.
What is Apraxia?
A neurological disorder causing problems carrying out voluntary movements despite having intact muscles, due to issues in the brain.
What is Working Memory?
A cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information, which becomes less effective with age.
What is Attention in Aging?
Cognitive ability that declines with age, making it harder for older adults to multitask and requiring them to pay closer attention to tasks.
What is Depression in Older Adults?
Mental condition that presents differently in older adults, often with anxiety, agitation, and memory problems that directly and indirectly affect cognitive functioning.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Progressive neurological disorder characterized by slow loss of motor function, trembling hands, shuffling walk, and muscular rigidity, affecting dopamine-releasing neurons.
What is Agnosia?
Neurological disorder where individuals have problems understanding what they perceive despite intact sensory abilities and knowledge about objects.
What is Processing Speed in Older Adults?
Cognitive process that slows with age, causing older adults to acquire new information at a slower rate and requiring more time for tasks.
What is Substance-Induced Persisting Dementia?
Cognitive impairment resulting from prolonged substance use or exposure to toxins that persists even after substance use has stopped.
What is Huntington’s Disease?
A genetic disorder that can cause dementia, characterized by progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
What is Dementia Due to HIV Infection?
Cognitive impairment caused by HIV destroying white matter and subcortical brain areas, resulting in impaired memory, concentration problems, tremors, and behavioural changes.
What are Antiretroviral Medications?
Drugs used to treat HIV that can slow or reverse brain damage and improve cognitive functioning in patients with HIV-associated dementia.
What is Substantia Nigra?
Brain region containing dopamine-releasing neurons that are damaged in Parkinson’s Disease, leading to motor and cognitive symptoms.
What is Dementia Due to Parkinson’s Disease?
Cognitive impairment occurring in approximately 50% of Parkinson’s patients, causing executive functioning deficits due to damage to dopamine-releasing neurons in the substantia nigra.
