Chapter 5: Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
Dementia
continuous loss of cognitive abilities, behavioral and social skills that affect a person’s ability to function independently
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
form of neurocognitive disorder that signifies that the individual may be at risk of developing Alzheimer’s; intermediate stage between cognitive decline of normal aging and dementia
Amnesia
profound memory loss, inability to learn or remember information after the damage (anterograde) or before the damage (retrograde)
Causes of amnesia
chronic substance use, medications, exposure to environmental toxins, head trauma, loss of oxygen supply to the brain, or sexually transmitted disease like herpes
Alzheimer’s disease
form of neurocognitive disorder that causes the brain to atrophy, progressive and irreversible neuronal death
Prevalence of neurocognitive disease or dementia in older adults
affect 5-8% of those age 60 and over, 60-70% being Alzheimer’s; doubles every five years
Psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s from early to later stages
occasional loss of memory for recent events or familiar tasks, changes in personality and behavior, loss of ability to perform the most basic everyday tasks
Do men or women have longer survival time following diagnosis of Alzheimer’s?
Women have 5.7 years n average, men have 4.2 years
Amyloid plaques
abnormal and insoluble deposits of protein fragments that form in the brain of a person with AD
Neurofibrillary tangles
the profusion of abnormally twisted fibres within the neurons consisting of a protein called tau
Two major biological changes in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s
amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease
individuals that develop Alzheimer’s at 40-50 years old; believed to be due to genetics
Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
individuals that develop Alzheimer’s at 60-65 years due to the presence of at least 21 genes, individually or combined (e.g. ApoE)
Tau
protein that maintains the stability of microtubules that form the internal support structure of axons; disintegrates in Alzheimer’s and causes tangles
Aphasia
loss of language ability
Apraxia
loss of ability to carry out coordinated movement
Agnosia
loss of ability to recognize familiar objects
How is Alzheimer’s diagnosed?
process of exclusion and ruling out of symptoms and other possible diagnoses or autopsy
Gold standard for diagnosing Alzheimer’s
NINCDS-ADRDA criteria: medical and neuropsychological screening, behavioral ratings, mental status measures
Existing treatments for Alzheimer’s
medications that temporarily alleviate memory loss BUT do not slow the progression of the disease
Caregiver burden
the stress that caregivers experience in the daily management of their afflicted relative
Vascular neurocognitive disorder
progressive loss of cognitive functioning due to damage in arteries supplying the brain
Multi-infarct dementia (MID)
kind of vascular neurocognitive disorder caused by transient ischemic attacks or mini strokes; develops faster than AD and severity depends on number of infarcts
Frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder (FTD)
personality changes like apathy, lack of inhibition, obsessiveness, addictive behaviors, and loss of judgement that eventually lead to being neglectful of personal habits and loss of ability to communicate
Parkinson’s disease
motor disturbances like tremors, speech impediments, slowing of movement, muscular rigidity, shuffling gait, postural instability
Neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies
loss of mental functions like memory and reasoning, and unlike Alzheimer’s, causes episodes of confusion and hallucination
Pick’s disease
severe atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes and accumulation of unusual protein deposits called Pick bodies
Reversible neurocognitive disorders
presence of a medical condition that affects but does not kill the brain tissue
Normal-pressure hydrocephalus
obstruction in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing it to accumulate in the brain
Subdural haematoma
blood clot that creates pressure on brain tissue
Delirium
an acute cognitive disorder (severe and sudden onset) characterized by temporary confusion that can be caused by heart and lung diseases, infection, or malnutrition
Polypharmacy
when an individual takes multiple drugs, sometimes without permission from a physician
Wernicke’s disease
acute condition caused by chronic alcohol abuse that involves delirium, eye movement disturbances, difficulties with balance and movement, and deterioration of nerves to the hands and feet
Korsakoff syndrome
chronic form of alcohol-induced neurocognitive disorder
Four behavioral methods to help caregivers of AD patients
(1) teach behavioral methods to maintain independence (2) target problematic behaviors (3) adhere to a schedule (4) identify when patient becomes disruptive
Early signs of AD
memory loss affective everyday abilities, difficulty performing familiar tasks, language and abstract thinking problems, disorientation, impaired judgement, misplacing things, changes in mood, behavior, and personality, loss of initiative
Middle stage signs of AD
deeper and noticeable memory loss and mental confusion, disorientation, impaired ability for simple arithmetic, being aggressive or passive and suspicious, difficulty sleeping, depression
Final stage signs of AD
severe memory loss, speech impairment, repetition of conversations, very poor reasoning and judgement, neglect of personal hygiene, personality changes, need of extensive assistance
Signs of MCI
challenges with balance and coordination, repeated questions or stories, difficulty following multi-step directions and with mathematical tasks
Impact of AD on feelings of caregivers
feelings of sadness and loss, grief, regret, guilt
