Neuro - Dementia

Question 1

What is the most common cause of dementia?

Answer 1

Alzheimer’s Disease

Question 2

How is dementia categorized?

Answer 2

progressive cognitive + social + functional impairment

Question 3

What medication can benefit dementia in early stages?

Answer 3

acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Question 4

Why is it hard to diagnose dementia in the clinic?

Answer 4

→ The disease follows a heterogenous course
→ In old age the disease presentation is of multiple co-morbidities
→ Lots of mixed and uncertain pictures
→ Younger patients are more typical
→ Clinical history, the function of the patient and how they change is paramount

Question 5

How is a clinical diagnosis for dementia usually made? What is it based on?

Answer 5

History-taking

Question 6

What is the checklist to interview patients+ collateral?

Answer 6

(long list)

Question 7

What is dementia?

Answer 7

Severe memory loss + other cognitive abilities which leads to impaired daily function

Question 8

What are you looking for when examining patients for signs of cognitive impairments?

Answer 8

Neurological mental state

Question 9

What are investigations that can be done to help diagnose dementia?

Answer 9

→ neuropsychology
→ bloods
→ PET
→ MRI

Question 10

What tests are used to assess cognitive function?

Answer 10

MMSE = mini mental state examination
ACA = Addenbrooks Cognitive Assessment

Question 11

What investigations are done as part of a blood test for dementia?

Answer 11

Long list lol

Question 12

What are the different causes of dementia?

Answer 12

→ Alzheimer's
→ Vascular
→ Lewy Body
→ Frontotemporal
→ Depression
→ Delirium
→ No cause

Question 13

How do you manage dementia?

Answer 13

→ acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors
→ watch + wait
→ treating behavioral/psychological symptoms
→ occupational therapist
→ social services
→ specialist therapies

Question 14

How Alzheimer’s symptoms differ from other dementias?

Answer 14

→ subtle
→ insidious
→ can have amnestic or non-amnestic

Question 15

How do vascular dementia symptoms differ from other dementia?

Answer 15

→ associated with cerebrovascular diseases
→ has classic step-wise deterioration
→ +- multiple infarcts

Question 16

How does Lewy body dementia differ from the other dementias?

Answer 16

→ cognitive impairment before/within 1 year of Parkinsonian symptoms
→ visual hallucinations
→ fluctuating cognition
→ REM sleep disorder
→ high risk of falls

Question 17

How does frontotemporal dementia differ from other dementias?

Answer 17

→ behaviour variant FTD
→ semantic dementia
→ progressive non-fluent aphasia

Question 18

What kind of memory loss does Alzheimer’s initially present with?

Answer 18

Episodic memory deficits

Question 19

What parts of the brain are particularly dysfunctional in Alzheimer’s?

Answer 19

Medial temporal lobe - entorhinal cortex + HIPPOCAMPUS

Question 20

What causes Alzheimer’s ?

Answer 20

V

Question 21

What causes Lewy body dementia?

Answer 21

Aggregation of alpha-synucleid leads to deposition of Lewy bodies

Question 22

What causes frontotemporal dementia?

Answer 22

Deposits of beta-Amyloid plaques and increased Tau protein