Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
Delirium
- disturbance in attention and awareness that develops over a short period of time (few hours to a few days)
- represents a change from baseline attention and awareness
- tends to fluctuate in severity over the course of a day
- at least one additional disturbance in cognition (memory or language impairment)
- symptoms aren’t better explained by a pre-existing revolving or a cognitive disorder and do not occur in context of reduced level of arousal (coma)
- evidence that symptoms are a direct physiological consequence of a medical condition, substance toxication, withdrawal, or exposure to toxin
Causes of delirium
- high fever
- nutritional deficiency
- electrolyte imbalance
- renal or hepatic failure
- head injury
- certain drugs and medications (alcohol, lithium, sedatives, and anticholinergic drugs)
Treatment of delirium
- addressing causal and contributing medical problems
- reducing disorientation through environmental manipulation
-haloperidol or other antipsychotic drugs may help reduce agitation and psychotic symptoms
Environmental manipulation
- providing sufficient lighting
- reducing noise
- minimizing number of visitors
Major neurocognitive disorder
- cognitive dysfunction that is acquired
- sufficient decline from a previous level of functioning in one or more cognitive domains (executive functioning, learning and memory, social cognition)
-does not occur only in the context of delirium
-interferes with the person’s independence in every day activities
Mild neurocognitive disorder
- cognitive dysfunction that has acquired
- modest decline from previous level of functioning in one or more cognitive domains that does not occur only in the context of delirium and does not interfere with the person’s independence in everyday activities but may require greater efforts or the use of compensatory strategies
Neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease
- 60 to 80% of all cases of NCD
- person meets the criteria for major or mild NCD
- insidious onset and gradual progression of impairment in 1+ cognitive domains for mild and does not interfere with daily activities
- two or more cognitive domains that interfere with daily activities for major
- meet the criteria for probable or possible forms of Alzheimer’s
Major NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s requires evidence of causative genetic mutation from genetic testing or family history
- and or evidence of decline in memory and learning in at least one other cognitive domain, steady progressive and gradual decline in cognition and no evidence of mixed etiology
Mild NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- evidence of causative genetic mutation from genetic testing or family history
- diagnosis a possible Alzheimer’s disease is given when there’s no evidence of a positive genetic mutation, but evidence in a decline of memory and learning, steady, progressive and gradual decline and cognition, and no evidence of mixed etiology
Overall Prevalence rates of Alzheimer’s disease
-higher for women
- maybe due to women living longer
- One considered age. Not clear that women have higher rates for men the same age
Alzheimer’s and race
- blacks have highest prevalence rate in incident rates
- followed by Hispanics and whites
Age and Alzheimer’s disease
- onset usually 70 to 89 years old
- early on set 49 to 59(chromosome on mutations)
Younger individuals and Alzheimer’s
- more likely to survive full course of disease
Older individuals and Alzheimer’s
- more likely to have medical comorbidities that affect the course and management of illness
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
- definitively confirmed only with the brain biopsy or autopsy
Brain biopsy and Alzheimer’s disease
- really done because of discomfort and risks
In vivo clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
- requires the presence of characteristic symptoms as well as elimination of other explanations for symptoms
-
Eliminating alternative explanations in Alzheimer’s
- obtain information from a variety of sources including family history, physical and neurological exams, lab test, CT scans or MRIs, mental status evaluation, and neuropsychological testing
Pseudodementia
- depression that has prominent cognitive symptoms
- people usually respond well to treatment
- abrupt onset of symptoms
- exaggerate cognitive problems.
- moderate memory loss and symptoms of melancholia and anxiety
- often respond. I don’t know in response to assessment questions
Alzheimer’s versus pseudodimentia
- insidious onset
- minimize or deny cognitive problems
- severe memory impairment
- evolution and apathy
- respond to assessment questions with wrong answers
Etiology of Alzheimer’s disease
- chromosomal abnormalities
- neurotransmitter abnormalities
- brain abnormalities
Risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease
- ApoE4 variant on chromosome 19
Neurotransmitter abnormalities associated with Alzheimer’s
- reduced acetylcholine
- excessive glutamate
Both involved in learning and memory
Brain abnormalities and Alzheimer’s
- amyloid plaques
- neurofibularity tangles
- caused by buildup a proteins associated with aging but more pervasive in Alzheimer’s
-disrupt cell to cell communication