dementia

(noun)

A progressive decline in cognitive function due to brain damage or disease. Areas particularly affected include memory, attention, judgement, language, and problem solving.

Related Terms

Examples of dementia in the following topics:

  • Aging and the Nervous System

    • Dementia (from Latin de- "apart, away" + mens (genitive mentis) "mind") is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what is expected from normal aging.
    • Dementia most commonly affects memory, attention, language, and problem solving, although those in the later stages in this condition may be disoriented in time, place, and person.
    • Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible depending upon the etiology of the disease.
    • Less than 10% of all dementia cases are reversible.
    • It is the most common cause of dementia.

  • Alzheimer's Disease

    • Alzheimer's disease is an age-linked neurodegenerative disorder characterized by marked dementia.
    • Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia.

  • Administering Hormones

    • Hormone replacement therapy for menopause is based on the idea that the treatment may prevent discomfort caused by diminished circulating oestrogen and progesterone hormones, or in the case of the surgically or prematurely menopausal, that it may prolong life and may reduce incidence of dementia It involves the use of one or more of a group of medications designed to artificially boost hormone levels.

  • Aphasia

    • Acute aphasia disorders usually develop quickly as a result of head injury or stroke, and progressive forms of aphasia develop slowly in cases of brain tumors, infection, or dementia.
    • Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is associated with progressive illnesses or dementia, and is the gradual process of losing the ability to think.

  • Lipids: Sources, Uses in the Body, and Dietary Requirements

    • Numerous studies have shown that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids has positive benefits in terms of infant development, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental illnesses such as depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and dementia.

  • Assessing CNS Disorders

    • This is more common in dementia. )

  • Syphilis

    • Neurosyphilis is characterized by neurological and psychiatric symptoms, such as confusion, blindness, abnormal gait and dementia.

  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

    • Problems may include difficulty with higher intellectual functions, short-term memory loss, dementia, amnesia, psychosis, irritability, a strange gait, speech disturbances, Parkinson's disease-like syndromes, cortical blindness, and a depressed mood.

  • Stress and Immunity

    • In one study, individuals caring for spouses with dementia, representing the stress group, saw a significant decrease in immune response to an influenza-virus vaccine compared to a non-stressed control group.

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

    • Cognitive function is generally spared for most patients although some (~5%) also have frontotemporal dementia.