Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
Delirium criteria
- Disturbance in attention and awareness over short time
- 1+ other cognitive disturbance (language, memory, etc.)
- Symptoms connected to medical cause
Delirium course
- Develops in hours to a few days
- Change from baseline
- Fluctuates in severity throughout day
Risk factors for delirium
- Hospitalized older adults
- High fever
- Nutritional deficiency
- Electrolyte disturbance
- Renal or hepatitic failure
- Head injury
- Drugs/medications
Common substance/medication sources of Delirium
- Alcohol
- Lithium
- Sedatives
- Anticholinergic drugs
Delirium treatment
- Addressing medical problem
- Environmental changes (reduce disorientation)
- Antipsychotics (agitation, psychotic symptoms)
NCDs
- Acquired (NOT developmental) cognitive dysfunction
- Mild or major
Mild NCD criteria
- Modest decline from baseline in 1+ cognitive areas
- Not just part of Delirium
- Independence w/ skills
Major NCD criteria
- Significant decline from baseline in 1+ cognitive areas
- Not just part of Delirium
- No independence
Types of NCDs
- NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- NCD with Lewy Bodies
- Vascular NCD
- NCD due to HIV Infection
- NCD due to Prion Disease
- Frontotemporal NCD
- NCD due to Another Medical Condition
NCD due to Alzheimer’s Disease criteria
- Meet criteria for mild or major NCD
- 1+ areas for mild, 2+ areas for major
- Subtle onset, slow progression
- Probable for Alzheimer’s
- Not better explained
Mild NCD + possible Alzheimer’s
- No genetic mutation
- Decline in memory and learning
- Gradual
- No mixed etiology
Mild NCD + probable Alzheimer’s
- Genetic mutation
Major NCD + possible Alzheimer’s
- Criteria for Major NCD + probable Alzheimer’s not fully met
Major NCD + probable Alzheimer’s
- Genetic mutation
- Decline in memory and one other area
- Gradual
- No mixed etiology
NCD due to Alzheimer’s prevalence
- Women > men (may be due to life expectancy)
- 65+ yo
- Black Americans
NCD due to Alzheimer’s course
- Onset 70-89 yo
- When onset 49-59 yo = genetic mutation
Diagnosing NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- ONLY confirmed by brain biopsy (high risk) or autopsy
- Symptoms + ruling out other causes
- Family history
- Exams (physical, neuro, neuropsych, status)
- Labs, scans (MRI, CT)
NCD due to Alzheimer’s genetic mutation
ApoE4 chromosomal variant
NCD due to Alzheimer’s and brain structure
- General = buildup of proteins
- Amyloid plaques (beta-amyloid clumps)
- Neurofibrillary tangles
- Mild = rapid loss of smell
Locus coeruleus (in brain stem)? >
Medial temporal lobe >
Frontal and parietal lobes >
Entire cortex
Amyloid plaques
- Linked to NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- Beta-amyloid protein clumps
Neurofibrillary tangles
- Linked to NCD due to Alzheimer’s
- Disrupt between-cell communication
- Tau protein
- Threads > tangles
NCD due to Alzheimer’s risk factors
- Low educational status
- Obesity
- Hearing loss
- Down’s syndrome
- High neuroticism, low conscientiousness
NCD due to Alzheimer’s and Down’s syndrome
- Extra chromosome for amyloid protein
- Early onset in 20s