Chapter 18 - Disorders of Aging and Cognition

Question 1

Geropsychology

Answer 1

The field of psychology dedicated to the mental health of elderly people

Question 2

Depression

Answer 2

• one of the most common mental health problems of older adults

Question 3

Anxiety

Answer 3

• one of the most common among elderly people

- Many receive benzodiazepines

Question 4

Alcohol Use Disorder

Answer 4

• significant problems for many older people but decreases after age 65

Question 5

Substance Abuse

Answer 5

Most common in elderly is prescription drugs

Question 6

Delusional disorder

Answer 6

People believe beliefs that are false but not bizarre

Question 7

Delirium

Answer 7

A major disturbance in attention and orientation to the environment
- may occur at any age group, including children, but mostly seen in elderly

Question 8

Neurocognitive Disorder

Answer 8

Experience a significant decline in at least one area of cognitive functioning such as memory, attention, visual perception, planning, decision making, language ability or social awareness

Question 9

Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Answer 9

Decline is substantial and interferes significantly with this or her ability to be independent

Question 10

Mild Neurocognitive Disorder

Answer 10

Modest and does not interfere with independent functioning

Question 11

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 11

• most common neurocognitive disorder accounting for 2/3 of cases
• may withdraw from others during late stages of disorder

Question 12

Senile Plaques

Answer 12

Sphere-shaped deposits of a small molecule known as beta-amyloid protein that form in the spaces between neurons in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and certain other brain structures as well as in some nearby blood vessels

Question 13

Neurofibrillary tangles

Answer 13

Twisted protein fibers found within the neurons of the hippocampus and certain other brain structures, also occur in all people as they age, but people with alzheimer’s have a number of these

Question 14

Early-onset Alzheimer’s

Answer 14

• relatively rare

- runs in families

Question 15

Late-onset Alzheimer’s

Answer 15

• vast majority of cases
• results from a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors
• caused by the APOE4 gene form promotes the excessive formation of beta-amyloid proteins

Question 16

What brain structures are affected in Alzheimers

Answer 16

• Prefrontal cortex
• temporal lobes
• diencephalon

Question 17

Cruetzfeldt-Jacob disease

Answer 17

Another type of neurocognitive disorder that is known to be caused by a slow-acting virus

Question 18

Vascular neurocognitive disorder

Answer 18

Follows a cerebrovascular accident or stroke during which blood flow to specific areas of the brain was cut off thus damaging the areas

Question 19

Frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder

Answer 19

• “picks” disease

- rare disease that effects the frontal and temporal lobe

Question 20

Neurocognitive disorder due to Huntingtons disease

Answer 20

an inherited progressive disease in which memory problems, personality and mood difficulties worsen over time

Question 21

Parkinson’s disease

Answer 21

marked by trimmers, rigidity and unsteadiness

Question 22

Triple Jeopardy

Answer 22

Being alone, widowed and poor

- mainly women