neurocognitive disorders & disorders related to aging

Question 1

neurocognitive disorders (NCD)

Answer 1

physical or medical causes
affect brain functioning
deficits in cognitive functioning
marked change in prior level of functioning
not psychologically based
caused by medical or physical disease, injury, or drug use
cause can be potentially determined with fair certainty

Question 2

delirium

Answer 2

disturbance in attention and awareness
develops over a short period of time; fluctuates in severity
disturbance in cognition
reversible condition

Question 3

delirium causes

Answer 3

head trauma
medical disorders
drug abuse
substance withdrawal
fluid or electrolyte imbalance
vitamin B deficiency
brain lesions
stroke

Question 4

major neurocognitive disorders

Answer 4

profound decline or deterioration
multiple causes
may be reversible in some cases

Question 5

mild neurocognitive disorders

Answer 5

mild or modest decline in cognitive functioning
important new diagnosis - allows for early identification and intervention
does not impair functioning
ability to be independent is preserved, but person must exert much more effort

Question 6

neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 6

dementia (memory impairment) & deterioration of other cognitive functions
insidious onset, gradual, steady progression
no evidence of other cause
more diagnoses because better medicine and longer average lifespan
difficulty with word finding
short term memory loss first
visual spatial deficits

Question 7

alzheimer’s causal theories

Answer 7

neurofibrillary tangles - insoluble twisted proteins inside nerve cells
amyloid plaques - sticky proteins made from beta amyloid - interferes with neuron-neuron interactions

Question 8

vascular neurocognitive disorder

Answer 8

onset of cognitive effects due to cerebrovascular accidents (stroke)
vascular system in the brain
typically occurs abruptly & follows stepwise progression with rapid decline
variable presentation
language problems if stroke occurred on the left side of the brain
aphasia - language impairment
second most common cause of neurocognitive disorders

Question 9

fronto-temporal neurocognitive disorder

Answer 9

deterioration of brain tissue in frontal & temporal lobes
same behavior over and over
memory loss, inappropriate social functioning
executive abilities
language problems

Question 10

neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury

Answer 10

evidence of traumatic brain injury - displacement of brain into skull
specific deficits vary with injury sites, age, etc.
symptoms vary based on where the brain is injured
swelling of brain
loss of consciousness, no memories of what happened or a period of time before incident occurred
disorientation, confusion
amnesia (anterograde or retrograde)
mild-moderate-severe

Question 11

substance-medication induced neurocognitive disorder

Answer 11

criteria met for neurocognitive disorder
involved substance or medication capable of producing the neurocognitive impairment
impairment could be prolonged recovery after a long period of substance use
course of neurocognitive deficits consistent with timing of substance use

Question 12

substance-medication induced neurocognitive disorder examples

Answer 12

korsakoff’s syndrome
wernicke’s disease

Question 13

korsakoff’s syndrome

Answer 13

only neurocognitive disorder in which long term memories lost first
caused by alcohol use and vitamin B deficiency

Question 14

wernicke’s disease

Answer 14

can be transient
caused by thiamine deficiency
alcohol problems

Question 15

neurocognitive disorder with lewy bodies

Answer 15

lewy bodies = abnormal protein deposits in nuclei of brain cells
causes disruption of processes involving memory and motor control
insidious onset and gradual progression
profound cognitive decline
fluctuating alertness and attention
visual hallucinations
rigid body movements and muscle stiffness

Question 16

neurocognitive disorder due to Parkinson’s Disease

Answer 16

chronic, progressive irreversible neurological disorder
parkinson’s disease - deterioration of substantia nigra & dopamine deficiency
uncontrollable tremors, shaking, rigid muscles, walking difficulties
majority of patients will develop major NCD/dementia
treatment for early stage: L-dopa medication

Question 17

neurocognitive disorder due to huntington’s disease

Answer 17

inherited degenerative disease
insidious onset with gradual progression
choreiform movements, motor impairments
mental deterioration

Question 18

neurocognitive disorder due to HIV infection

Answer 18

impaired executive functioning
slow processing speed
difficulty with demanding attentional tasks
difficulty with new learning

Question 19

neurcognitive disorder due to prion disease

Answer 19

formation of abnormal clusters of prion molecules –> infection –> brain damage –> major NCD
prion - abnormal, pathogenic agents that are transmissible
creutzfeldt-jacob disease - formation of small cavities in the brain

Question 20

anxiety and aging

Answer 20

less prevalent in late life, but one of the most common psychological disorders in older adults