Alzheimer's Disease
Since the second edition of this article, no ground-breaking scholarly work has been published that may challenge the historical hypotheses propounded therein on the development of the concept of dementia (Berrios, 2000a); indeed, the ‘constructionist’ view has gained support from the way in which the nosological surface of ‘dementia’ has been redrawn during the…
Alzheimer’s disease
AD has become the prototypical form of dementia. From this point of view, a study of its origins should throw light on the evolution of the concept of dementia. The writings of Alzheimer, Fischer, Fuller, Lafora, Bonfiglio, Perusini, Ziveri, Kraepelin and other protagonists are deceptively fresh, and this makes anachronistic reading inevitable. However, the…
Causes and Types of Dementia
What Causes Dementia?
There are a number of diseases and conditions that can cause dementia.For many people there is still the question “Why me?”
Dementia is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, but it is more common among older people. It occurs in all social classes and ethnic groups and can also affect…
Types of dementia
There are many types of dementia. The effects of the different types of dementia are similar, but not identical, as each one tends to affect different parts of the brain. Parkinson’s Disease is a common disorder of deep brain structures that help control movement. Over time, many people with Parkinson’s disease develop Parkinson’s Disease Dementia. The majority of Parkinson’s Disease patients over the age if 65 develop dementia within a few years. Even younger people with Parkinson’s Disease can develop dementia – one community…
How do you know if your parent has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia? If dad continually forgets where he puts his keys, or mom seems to get easily confused these days, does it mean they have Alzheimer’s? Not necessarily. Only a doctor can diagnose the condition. Every person experiences different symptoms, to different degrees. But…
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an unusual neurologic disorder, with a prevalence of approximately 1 case per million population, which is about 1/10,000 that of Alzheimer’s disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has captured widespread attention, in part because of the recent epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and the appearance of 139 cases of “new-variant” Creutzfeldt-Jakob…
Scientists have shown a molecular chaperone is working like a waste management company to collect and detoxify high levels of toxic amyloid beta peptide found in Alzheimer’s disease. In what they are calling a new direction in the study of Alzheimer’s disease, UC Santa Barbara scientists have made an important finding about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The results are published in the online version of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have identified a series of novel proteins in human cerebrospinal fluid. The proteins, which carry specific sugar molecules, are found in greater concentrations in patients with dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease than in patients with dementia caused by other diseases. This gives hope for new forms…
I was asked recently about the relationship between diet and Alzheimer’s disease. This is a great question since we tend to focus on more traditional health benefits of eating well, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This was in response to a recent study published in the journal Neurology. As scientists inch closer to figuring out what prevents dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, one avenue leads to that morning cup of Joe. Academic and industry experts said on Tuesday they have convinced U.S. regulators to ease safety restrictions imposed on clinical trials of Alzheimer’s drugs, a move that could improve the chances that a drug being developed jointly by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson might succeed. The possibility of developing stem cells from a patient’s own skin and using them to treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer has generated tremendous excitement in the stem cell research community in recent years. Such therapies would avoid the controversial need for using stem cells derived from human embryos,…
DEFINITION OF THE DEMENTIA SYNDROME Aging and cognitive decline Many different disease states can produce the clinical syndrome of dementia. These can be divided into two groups: A number of criteria-based approaches to the diagnosis of AD have been developed. The three most commonly used are: Dear Mr. President, Doctors will be able to identify the initial signs of Alzheimer’s disease earlier thanks to a new 10 minute, picture-based memory test.
There are over 100 diseases that can cause dementia. The most common types of dementia are described in this section.
AIDS related dementia
Types of Dementia Parkinson’s Disease
10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Natural Alzheimer’s Weapon Suggests Better Treatment
It was known that the molecular chaperone, HspB1, was present in the hallmark plaque of Alzheimer’s patients but its role remained a mystery.
“What we have…
New Direction In Alzheimer’s Research
Stuart Feinstein,…
New clues to the cause of Alzheimer’s disease
How Diet And Obesity May Be Linked To Alzheimer’s
In that study, Swedish…
Coffee May Ward Off Alzheimer’s
It’s likely that many complex factors influence the development of Alzheimer’s—a neurodegenerative disease degrading a person’s memory, personality and language skills, but scientists have found clues to halt its development.
In one…
Groups convince FDA to ease Alzheimer’s trial rules
A 2008 study of 240 patients testing that drug, known…
A patient’s own skin cells may one day treat multiple diseases
A Guide to the Diagnosis and Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease
The characteristic clinical feature of dementia is the presence of cognitive decline sufficient to cause functional impairment. Criteria for dementia are defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM IV). When dementia has been confirmed, the differential diagnosis can begin. The onset of progressive…
Differential diagnosis of dementia
There is a natural age-associated modification in cognition. As a consequence, it can be problematic distinguishing between cognitive impairment associated with normal aging and early dementia. In addition, ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (MCI) can be experienced. This is characterized by an abnormal level of cognitive impairment, albeit that it does not…
Causes of the dementia syndrome
* Reversible
* Irreversible
Reversible dementia syndrome
The term reversible or potentially/ partially reversible is used to define a cognitive disorder in which normal or nearly normal function may be restored. The potential…
Diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease
* International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10)
* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM IV)
* National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke…
‘Dear Mr. President:’ A Letter From America’s Dementia Patients
Please appoint a champion of non-pharmacological Alzheimer’s treatment to the National Advisory Panel on Alzheimer’s that you recently established pursuant to the National Alzheimer’s Project Act.
Current medications can slow the advance of Alzheimer’s disease in some people, but offer no hope of a cure for the estimated 5.5 million people…
Memory test ‘identifies Alzheimer’s early’
The iPad-based test will enable GPs to test patients in high street surgeries, rather than having to refer them to specialist clinics, which could drive up diagnosis rates.
Currently only 40 per…
