Dementias Flashcards
Delirium
Acute decline in alertness and cognition
Increases risk in elderly
Causes of delirium
Substance intoxication (ie. first generation antipsychotics)
Infection
Dehydration
Sx of delirium
Reduced awareness Perception and memory problems Speech difficulty Sleep problems Hallucinations
Alzheimer’s Disease
Gene mutations and loss of acetylcholine
Gene mutations in Alzheimer’s
Cause amyloid beta (protein) to accumulate in and out of the neurons ➡️ damage of dendrites and axons ➡️ plaques (lesions of cells that may contain amyloid peptide deposits)
Amyloid beta alters tau proteins inside the cell which then forms tangles inside the neuron (clog the neuron ➡️ neuronal death)
Gray matter atrophy
Found with MRI/fMRI
Smaller hippocampal size predict cognitive decline
Treatment for Alzheimer’s
Cholinesterase inhibitors: inhibit the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine
Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus basalis of Meynert
Frontotemporal Dementia
Uncommon & difficult to detect
Later age of onset than Alzheimer’s
Sx:
Behavioral disturbances (socially inappropriate,apathy, personality changes, disinhibition, depression)
Language problems
Memory problems
Brain areas affected by frontotemporal dementia
Orbitofrontal areas (ACC, medial prefrontal cortex)
Anterior insular
Affects spindles neurons in frontal lobe
Affects human neurons - what makes us humans
Parkinson’s disease
Sx:
Rigidity
Muscle tremors
Slow movements
Depression
Difficulty initiating movements or mental activity
Move better in response to signals or instructions
Treatment for Parkinson’s
L-dopa (medication that crosses the blood brain barrier and can increase dopamine)
Deep brain stimulation
Parkinson’s hypotheses
Neuronal damage due to exposure of chemicals
Mutations on chromosome 4
Neurobiology of Parkinson’s
Gradual loss of neurons in the substantia nigra
Dopamine releasing axons to the striatum
Less dopamine ➡️ increased acetylcholine ➡️ motor problems
