Exam 3 Deck 2 Flashcards
What is dementia?
Clinical syndrome marked by progressive cognitive impairment in clear consciousness
Represent a decline from previous level of functioning
Involves multiple cognitive domains
Interferes significantly with social or occupational functioning
Small percentage is reversible
(Common in elderly)
What is Major Neurocognitive Disorder?
Dementia
What are the diagnostic criteria for dementia (major neurocognitive disorder)?
- Significant cognitive decline from previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains
- Cognitive defects interfere with independence
- They do not occur exclusively in context of delerium
- Not explained by something else
What is the course of dementia?
Generally insiduous onset with duration of 6 months to 15 years
Progressive cognitive and functional decline that eventually leads to death
Neuropsychiatric symptoms typically worsen with dprogression
What is the prognosis for dementia?
Leads to death
Identifying correctable causes can improve symptoms
What is the number 1 risk factor for dementia?
AGE
Which gender suffers from dementia more?
Females
What are risk factors for dementia?
Age
Female
Vascular (HTN, CV disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, CHF, A.fib. …)
Environmental (alcohol, diet)
Genetics
What are some factors associated with the reversal of dementia or the slowing of its progression?
Education
Social networks
Cognitive stimulating activities/leisure activities
Exercise
Being male
Statins, perhaps; broadly, control of vascular risk factors
What non-cognitive symptoms are observed in dementia?
Affective and motivational symptoms
Psychotic symptoms
Disturbances of basic drives
Inappropriate/disinhibited behaviors (wandering)
Sleep disturbance
What symptoms of dementia lead to increased caregiver burden/stress, increased institutionalization, increased cost of care, increased bad outcomes for caregivers, increased bad outcomes for elders (abuse, neglect), danger, and worse medical care?
Non-cognitive symptoms-
affective & motivational, psychotic symptoms, disturbances of basic drives, socially inappropriate/disinhibited behaviors (aggression, wandering), sleep disturbance and neurological findings.
What are features of cortical dementia?
Memory impairment (recall and recognition)
Language defecits
Apraxia
Agnosia
Visuospatial deficits
What are features of subcortical dementia?
Greater impairment of recall memory
Decreased verbal fluency without anomia
Bradyphrenia (slowed thinking)
Depressed mood
Affective lability
Apathy
Decreased attention/concentration
What are some features that distinguish cortical from subcortical dementias?
Cortical have recall and recognition memory impairments; Subcortical is more recall impairments
Cortical dementias lack prominent motor signs; subcortical typically feature them
What are some etiologies of dementia?
Alzheimer’s
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Vascular
Frontotemporal (Pick’s disease)
Mixed
What is the most common cause of dementia?
Alzheimer’s
followed by Lewy Body / Vascular
What are core features of lewy body dementia?
Fluctuating cognition with pronounced variations in attention and alertness
Visual hallucinations
Spontaneous parkinsonism
What type of dementia presents with recurrent visual hallucinations and spontaneous parkinsonism?
Lewy Body Dementia
What is the major constituent of the cause of the dementia that causes visual hallucinations and parkinsonism?
α-synuclein - This is Dementia with Lewy Bodies
What causes vascular dementia?
Ischemic or hemorrhagic injury to the brain, consequence of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease
What are etiologies of vascular dementia?
Stroke
Small vessel ischemic disease
Hemorrhage
Chronic hypoperfusion
Genetic
Cerrebral amyloid angiopathy
What are frontotemporal dementias?
Group of disorders with shared clinical features - deterioration of language and personality changes
Includes Pick’s Disease
Earlier onset than AD, with insiduous onset, gradual progression
Executive Dysfunction, attentional defecits, loss of insight
3-5 years before death
TAUOPATHY
What do you find on neuropathology of frontotemproal dementials?
Atrophy and Pick bodies (tau-containing deposits)
What type of dementia is seen here?
Frontotemporal - Atrophy!