Dementia Flashcards
5 most common types of dementia:
Alzheimer's disease Vascular dementia Dementia with lewy bodies Frontotemporal dementia Mixed Other
Mixed dementia =
Alzheimer’s disease + Vascular dementia
ICD-10 defines dementia =
- Chronic or progressive
- Multiple higher cortical functions
- Consciousness not clouded
Forgetfulness is normal with
Age
MCI =
Mild cognitive impairment
Mild-cognitive impairment =
Syptoms worse than expected for age but not severe enough to impair ADLs
Dementia vs MCI
Dementia = impairs ADLs
Potential differentials for dementia:
Dementia Aging MCI Depression Delirium Physical: metabolic (hypothyroidism, B12, NPH), trauma (subdural haemorrhage, cerebral tumour)
Dementia effecting frontal lobe =
Emotional expression Personality Problem solving Judgement Motor function Expressive language Motivation Social behaviour
Dementia effecting temporal lobe =
Memory Speech Language comprehension Auditory and visual perceptions Emotional responses Facial recognition
Dementia effecting parietal lobe =
Learned skills: reading, writing, calculations
Ability to perform complex skills: driving, constructing
Recognition of objects
Spatial awareness
Dementia effecting occipital lobe =
Spatial processing Ability to determine between different colours Spatial awareness Colour and object recognition Hand eye coordination
3 basic groups of dementia symptoms:
memory problems
impairments in cognitive abilities
impairments in communication
Impairments in communication:
Repetitive
Reading and writing
Following and engaging in conversation
Most common type of dementia =
Alzheimer’s
3 mechanisms of Alzheimer’s pathology:
- Beta-amyloid plaques
- Neurofibillary tangles
- Reduced Ach
APP =
Amyloid precursor protein, helps neurone grow and repair
What recycles APP
alpha-secretase and gamma-secretase
What recycles APP in AD?
beta-secretase instead of alpha
Beta-amyloid plaques are where in neurone
Outside neuron
What is found on microtubules of cytoskeleton?
Tau proteins
What happens to Tau in AD?
Hyperphosphorylated and forms neurofibrillary tangles
How do these cause disease in AD?
- Ca2+ and glutamate influx
- Inflammatory response - free radicals
- Neural death
- Tau broken - loss of structural integrity
AD on scan:
Diffuse cerebral atrophy
Ventricular dilation
Widened sulci
Narrowed gyri
Hippocampus is in what lobe?
Temporal
Insidious onset =
Slow
5 A’s of alzheimer’s
Apraxia Agnosia Aphasia Amnesia Associated symptoms
Symptoms of AD:
Difficulty remembering recent events langaue problems changes in ability to process and interpret visual info decision making, problem solving, planning, sequencing disorientation not recogniting familiar faces reduces ADLs altered personality