Dementia Flashcards
Cognitive disorders have what three components
Memory
Orientation
Level of consciousness
Cognitive disorder patients may have what secondary symptoms
Secondary psychiatric symptoms
3 major cognitive disorders
Delirium
Dementia
Amnestic disorder
Most common type of dementia
Alzheimer’s
What type of diagnosis is Alzheimer’s
Diagnosis of exlucsion
Two main parts of Alzheimer’s
Gradual loss of memory
Loss of intellectual abilities
What to distinguish Alzheimer’s from
Pseudodementia
Normal aging
Define pseudodementia
Depression that mimics dementia
What chromosomal abnormality is most famous for being associated with Alzheimer’s
21
What chromosome abnormalities are implicated in early-onset alzheimer
1 and 14
What gene is implicated in higher occureence of Alzheimer’s
ApoE4
3 neuro levels changed in Alzheimer’s
- Decreased Ach and choline acetyltransferase
- Abnormal amyloid proteins
- Overstimulation of NMDA by glutamate
1 gross anatomical change in Alzheimer
Brain ventricles enlarged
Microscopic change in ALzheimer’s 2
- Senile amyloid plaques
2. Neurofibrillary tangles
Alzheimer’s course?
Progressive, irreversible, downhill
Most effective Alzheimer’s intervention
Structured environment
3 drugs used in Alzheimer’s
- Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
- Memantine (NMDA antagonist)
- Psychotropic agents
Dementia is what type of problem
Syndrome
Diagnostic criteria for dementia
- Memory impairment
- One cognitive loss
- Decline in function
- Social/occupational functioning impaired
5 reasons dementia can present so differently
- Location of damage
- Rate of disease change
- Pre-morbid disease
- Incidental features
- Other causes
3 most common forms of dementia
- Degenerative (most common)
- Vascular
- Alcohol induced
Definitive diagnosis of alzheimer’s when?
Autopsy
Two regions of brain heavily damaged in Alzheimer’s
Medial temporal lobe
Hippocampal
Two forms of Alzheimer’s
Late onset (most common) Early onset
Biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s
Age
Which sex has Alzheimer’s more
Female
Fronto-temporal dementia has what features 4
- impaired attention
- odd behavior
- language changes
- hypometabolism
Vascular dementia most commonly affects what lobe
Frontal lobe
Dementia with Lewy Bodies must have what 3 features
- progressive cognitive decline
- functional impairment
- Attention or visuospatial impairment
What is the sign of focal cortical atrophy dementia
Primary progressive aphasia
What is the sign of normal pressure hydrocephalus dementia 3
Dementia, ataxia, incontinence
Subcortical dementias (2)
- Parkinson’s
2. Huntington’s
Two screening tests of dementia for diagnosis
MMSE
SLUMS
Most common presenting symptom of AD
Impairment in short term of recent memory
