Neurocognitive Disorders

Question 1

Neurocognitive Disorders, general

Answer 1

Many symptoms may have a direct neurological cause

Psychologists need to be aware of such disorders to prevent misdiagnosis

DSM-5 : new terms for certain neurocognitive disorders

Question 2

Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MNC)

Answer 2

Onset and evolution of cognitive impairments not attributable to age and education

Sx do not significantly interfere with daily activities
*Serper: in reality it does interfere

Associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s

Question 3

DSM-5 name change Dementia to Major Cognitive Disorder

2 possible reasons

Answer 3

1. “Dementia” is associated with the elderly
   * however, it’s possible to be young and have dementia
2. Stigma: “demented” is pejorative

Question 4

Dementia, general

Answer 4

Gradual loss and decline of previous baseline functioning:

Memory

Inability to learn new knowledge

Spatial control

Judgment

Reasoning

Question 5

Dementia: Sx/ Dx

Answer 5

Dx: MEMORY IMPAIRMENT and ONE of following:

Aphasia -language production

Apraxia - motor

Agnosia - inability to identify objects

Executive functioning issues

Social cognition: inability to identify emotions

Question 6

Dementia: Causes

Answer 6

Alzheimer’s
**most common cause of dementia

Syphilis

AIDS

Parkinson’s

Intercranial tumors
Abscess
Dietary deficiency
Severe and repeated head injury

Question 7

Delirium, general

Answer 7

Acute confused state, between alert and stupor
True medical emergency

26% of all individuals with delirium will die within the next month

Question 8

Deliruim vs. SZ: quick way to differentiate

Answer 8

Ability to attend to environment

SZ: Even extremely psychotic individuals can attend to the environment when prompted

Delirium: acute confusion, cannot attend to stimuli

Question 9

Alzheimer’s and Depression: Risks and Considerations

Answer 9

Exact causes of ALZ are unknown

History of depression + specific alleles
= 7x more likely to develop Alzheimer’s

Is depression an early sign of ALZ?
OR
Does early depression increase neural vulnerablity to development of ALZ?

Question 10

Alzheimer’s: Treatment

Answer 10

No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms

Cholinesterase inhibitors: (prevent ACH breakdown)
*e.g. Aricept

NMDA/GLU antagonist
*e.g. Namenda

Question 11

Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MNC): drawback to terminology?

Answer 11

Serper:
Does “Mild” minimize the dx?

*implication that “mild” patients don’t require services,

Question 12

Delirium: treatment

Answer 12

Emergency intervention: Find medical cause/root

Tx: Antipsychotics, tranquilizers

Often reversible, though some symptoms may persist months after tx

Question 13

A dementia patient walks into a bar…

Answer 13

Demented patients may engage in :

Crude jokes

Sexual inappropriateness

Question 14

Alzheimer’s vs. Parkinson’s Differences:

NT deficiency

Answer 14

Alzheimer’s: ACH deficiency

Parkinson’s: DA deficiency

Question 15

Alzheimer’s vs. Parkinson’s Differences:

Primary symptoms

Answer 15

Alzheimer’s:

• Primarily a memory disorder
• Largest cause of dementia
• Rarely includes any type of movement impairments

Parkinson’s:

• Primarily a movement disorder
• Can eventually result in memory problems and dementia in about 50% of patients.
• Many individuals with Parkinson’s will never have memory problems during the course of their illness