Neurological Etiology
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild memory loss is a neurological disorder that develops due to deterioration of the normal cognitive capability of a person during the aging process. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) can be defined as a condition where an individual suffers a decline in his/her cognitive abilities beyond the expected in normal aging. However, it is important to understand that these abilities are not obviously identified in daily living activities. It is considered to be an intermediate condition between decline in memory in normal aging and severe memory loss, such as dementia. Nonetheless, MCI has also been closely associated with dementia, as it is seen as a progression towards it (Petersen, 2004). MCI is seen a main precursor to the condition called Alzheimer disease (AD) which affects the neuronal activity in the brain.
Mild Cognitive Impairment has been described to be heterogeneous in terms of its clinical presentation and its etiology. This condition can be categorized into two classes, the amnestic MCI, and the nonamnestic MCI. The amnestic MCI is usually considered as a type of dementia that causes problems with behavior, thinking, and memory (Costa, Monaco, Zabberoni, Peppe, Perri, Fadda, ... Carlesimo, 2014). The normal functioning process of the brain usually involves tightly regulated communication between brain cells, through adequate provision of oxygen and other nutrients, which maintain the brain stability. The association of Alzheimer's disease and memory loss can be attributed to the development of plaques and tangles in the brain. These disruptions and death of nerve cells are the major causes of memory failure in patients with mild cognitive impairment (Li, Liu, Gong...
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...s the ability to use a telephone, identifying nutritional data, responsibility when it comes to medication, grocery shopping, and the ability to manage finances (Wadley, Okonkwo, Crowe, & Ross-Meadows, 2008).
Replacing responsibility for medication with usage of household appliances has also been applied in some studies. Unlike neuropsychological tests which are influenced by educational or ethnic backgrounds, it is evident that measurement of everyday functioning is less influenced by such variables. Having cancelled such possibilities, there is an increased sensitivity towards the identification of MCI using normal functions. However, there are other studies that tend to differ with this reasoning and instead applaud the use of clinical methods in the place of traditional ones (Christopher, Marras, Duff-Canning, Koshimori, Chen, Boileau, & ... Strafella, 2014).
Gass, C., & Odland, A. a. The adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the a MMPI-2 revised form symptom validity scale: Psychometric characteristics in a nonlitigation neuropsychological setting. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 34(1), 561-570. Gass, C., & Odland, A. a. The adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the a MMPI-2 symptom validity scale: Psychometric characteristics and limitations in a Veterans Affairs neuropsychological setting.
Consider needs such as insurance, benefits/income, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, guardianship, food stamps, money management, citizen responsibilities, self care, etc.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia affecting the older population. Symptoms are more noticeable over time due to the severity of the stages worsening. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It accounts for fifty to eighty percent of dementia cases. Contrary to belief Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. Different parts of the brain are affected causing multiple symptoms sometimes not diagnosed until later stages in the disease.
This condition is preceded by a decline in the baseline performance that is thought to be abnormal for the person’s age and abilities. Mild cognitive impairment is characterised by beginning of changes in memory as well as performance of daily. Severe cognitive impairment is compounded with the more serious loss of performance of the mental processes, resulting in that a person cannot live on their own (Fann et al, 2005). The health, social and economic impacts of cognitive impairments are clear to many health care providers. However, there has not been enough national attention given to this health concern.
Memory plays a significant role in the everyday lives of people of all ages. It allows them to recall information and remember skills that were learned in the past. Memory also organizes past information to help people make current and future decisions. However, imagine forgetting the names of close family members or not having the ability to find your keys every time you want to leave the house. These are some of the struggles that people with Alzheimer’s disease face daily. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified by German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, and was discovered to have an overpowering effect on explicit memory loss (Gruetzner, 1988). There are two types of Alzheimer’s disease – early onset and late onset. Early onset occurs in patients who are diagnosed before the age of 65 whereas late onset occurs in patients who are diagnosed after the age of 65. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, short-term memory is often lost. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, problems with long-term memory begin to develop, in addition to short-term memory impairments. Although a lot is known about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, the cause has not been conclusively identified. However, as research continues, new theories about the cause of Alzheimer’s disease are being proposed. This has led to a controversy over whether Alzheimer’s disease is caused by genetics or environmental influences (Gruetzner, 1988).
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
Kumar, S., Rao, S. L., Sunny, B., & Gangadhar, B. N. (2007) Widespread cognitive impairment
Dementia is the progressive deterioration and impairment of memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions occurring as the result of a disease or condition. Dementia can affect the person’s ability to carry out daily activities. For example, the person may forget where they live or they might think they have already done their activities but never did. Dementia can also cause the elderly to become incontinent and can’t control their urinary system. Many people get confused that dementia is a disease. Dementia is not a disease. However, it can lead to a disease or condition. Dementia is more common in the elderly population. It’s normal for people to forget things, but to a certain extent it becomes a critical issue. Depression also plays a role in the affects of dementia. Studies have been made to believe that the biological mechanisms for depression relating to dementia is, “interactions with vascular diseases, changes in glucocorticoid steroid levels that can result in hippocampal atrophy, accumulation of amyloid-[beta] plaques, inflammatory processes, and lack of nerve growth factors” (Heser et al., 2013). Dementia is caused because of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This can also be known as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia is the leading cause for Alzheimer’s Disease in the elderly. For all dementia cases, 60 to 80 percent of people with dementia will have Alzheimer’s Disease. The disease has 3 different stages, the early stage, the middle stage, and the late stage. Each of those stages has a variety of symptoms that affects the memory impairment of the person (Wieregna, Bondi, 2011). Also relating to dementia is Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington Disease. These diseases can result in impairment, which can cause challeng...
Alzheimer’s disease progresses at a very slow rate. Changes in the brain may begin to develop as much as twenty years before diagnosis [2] (Figure 1a). Mild to moderate Alzheimer’s (Figure 1b) may last two to ten years [2]. In this stage, there is very mild cognitive impairment including memory lapses in association with familiar words or location of objects...
Alzheimer's disorder is a mental disorder that affects your brain, and in particular the disorder affects the memory part of your brain. The disorder slows down the memory section of your brain, and as a result the number one symptom of Alzheimer's is memory loss. The disorder usually doesn't affect younger people, but instead affects people that are older than the age of sixty. The disorder can get so serious that the patient could loss there of about everything that has ever happened in their life. Patients usually loss their memory of their childhood during the most severe, intense, and last stage of the disorder. Alzheimer's disorder can also have a drastic effect on the patient's family, because during the disorder the patient can forget about their entire family.
At the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s patients often lose cognitive function rapidly, forgetting recent events and even personal history. They also start to experience personality changes and often suffer from hallucinations. Patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease require...
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
Thesis/Preview Statement – Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes a decline in brain function, it destroys healthy nerve cells. Today, we have discussed Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of AD.
Cummings, Jeffrey L., Cole, Greg. “Alzheimer Disease.” Journal of the American Medical Association. May 2002: 287-18. Health Source. EBSCOhost. Utica College Lib. 15 Apr 2005. .
There are four main types of dementia with AD being the most widespread form. It ac...