Dementia Research Paper

Running head: DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia

What is Dementia? Dementia is the basic term for loss of memory, and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with everyday living. How many types of dementia are there? There are seven. And they are Alzheimer’s disease which is the most common type of this disease. But there are several other forms of dementia. Including Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease, this is rare, degenerative and invariably fatal brain disorder and affects one person in every one million worldwide. Dementia with Lewy Bodies is another form of dementia that is commonly known type of progressive dementia. The features are progressive cognitive decline along with fluctuation
in alertness and attention, recurrent visual hallucinations and Parkinson motor symptoms. Frontotemporal Dementia is an umbrella term for diverse group of rare disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This form affects personality and behavior and individuals in the age group of 40 to 70 years old.
Memory problems involving Alzheimer’s disease are not prominent in the early stages of Frontotemporal Dementia. Huntington Disease is caused by genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells called neurons; in particular areas of the brain, uncontrolled movement, loss of intellectual faculties and emotional distance are symptoms of this form of dementia. (alzinfo.org) Huntington disease is passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Another form is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus better known as “water on the Brain” which means too much fluid pressing on the brain. NPH can be caused without cause or by the condition that blocks flow of cerebrospinal fluid which enlarges the brain so it presses down on vessel causing damage and even destroying brain tissues but, this condition is treatable if diagnosed correctly. Individuals with Parkinson disease develop dementia also due to the loss of dopamine producing brain cells. Studies show 20% of individuals over seventy year with Parkinson Disease will develop dementia. Vascular Dementia is caused by blocked blood vessel that feed the brain usually caused by stroke. And lastly, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is a brain disorder associated
with the loss of brain function caused by a thiamine deficiency which can be linked to alcoholism. (alzinfo.org)What is the standard treatment for Dementia? There are several drugs approved for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, Donepezil also known as Aricept treat all stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Rivastigmine also called Exelon, along with Galantamine also called Razadyne treats mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. There is also another drug called Namenda also called Memantine, which regulates the activity of glutamate, a different messenger chemical association learning and memory. (alz.org) What type of activities is good for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? Activities such as making scrapbooks, talking about the past and current events, listening to music, playing board games etc… Anything that involves hand and eye coordination, content verbal usage and writing and reading is excellent. (alzheimercombocare.com). Following a proper diet helps the memory also. Even though there is no cure. Scientists are getter closer to a cure because they have developed drug that slows the process. That is a wonderful thing.
Reference:

www.alzheimerscombocare.com www.alz.org www.alzinfo.org