Wonders In Dementialand: Dementialand

by Suzka Collins

  is characterized by two brain: amyloid plaques and Amyloid plaques, which are

  Neurofibrillary tangles are bundles of twisted filaments found within neurons. These tangles are largely made up of a protein called tau. In healthy neurons, the tau protein helps the functioning of microtubules, which are part of the cell's structural support substances throughout the nerve cell. Alzheimer's disease, tau is changed in a way that causes it to twist into pairs of helical filaments that collect into tangles. When this happens, the microtubules cannot function correctly and they disintegrate. This collapse of the neuron's transport system may impair communication between nerve cells and cause them to die.

  and deliver

  However, in CASE: Vascular dementia

  Previously known as multi-infarct or post-stroke dementia, vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease. It accounts for up to 20 percent of all dementia cases.

  Vascular dementia symptoms: Vascular dementia often begins suddenly, frequently after a stroke. Patients may have a history of high blood pressure, vascular disease, or previous strokes or heart attacks. Vascular dementia may or may not get worse with time, depending on whether the person has additional strokes. In some cases, symptoms may get better with time. When the disease does get worse, it often progresses in a stepwise manner, with sudden changes in ability. Vascular dementia with brain damage to the mid-brain regions, however, may cause a gradual, progressive cognitive impairment that may look much like Alzheimer's disease. Unlike people with Alzheimer's disease, people with vascular dementia often maintain their personality and normal levels of emotional responsiveness until the later stages of the disease.

  Vascular dementia brain changes:

  Vascular dementia is caused by brain damage from cerebrovascular or cardiovascular problems - usually strokes. It also may result from genetic diseases, endocarditis (infection of a heart valve), or amyloid angiopathy (a process in which amyloid protein builds up in the brain's blood vessels, sometimes causing hemorrhagic or "bleeding" strokes).

  There are several types of vascular dementia, which vary slightly in their causes and symptoms. One type, called multi-infarct dementia (MID), is caused by numerous small strokes in the brain. MID typically includes multiple damaged areas, called infarcts, along with extensive lesions in the white matter, or nerve fibers, of the brain

  CASE: Lewy Bodies Dementia

  Lewy body dementia is one of the most common types of progressive dementia. Lewy bodies was first recognized as a diagnosis in the 1980s. Because the signs and symptoms of Lewy bodies dementia resemble those of other forms of dementia, researchers think that the number of diagnoses is lower than the number of cases that actually exist. Lewy bodies are often found in the brains of people with Parkinson Disease. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Dementia with Lewy bodies has three features that distinguish it from other forms of dementia: 1.Fluctuating effects on mental functioning, particularly alertness and attention, which may resemble delirium; 2. Recurrent visual hallucinations; and 3. Parkinson-like movement symptoms, such as rigidity and lack of spontaneous movement

  Lewy body dementia symptoms:

  People with dementia with Lewy bodies often have memory loss and thinking problems common in Alzheimer's, but are more likely than people with Alzheimer's to have initial or early symptoms such as sleep disturbances, well-formed visual hallucinations, and slowness, gait imbalance or other Parkinsonian movement features.

  Lewy body dementia brain changes: In Lewy bodies, cells die in the brain's cortex, or outer layer, and in a part of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra. Many of the remaining nerve cells in the substantia nigra contain abnormal structures called Lewy bodies that are the hallmark of the disease. Lewy bodies may also appear in the brain's cortex, or outer layer. Lewy bodies contain a protein called alpha-synuclein that has been linked to Parkinson's disease and several other disorders.

  CASE: Frontotemporal Dementia

  Frontotemporal dementia, sometimes called Pick’s disease or frontal lobe dementia, describes a group of diseases characterized by the degeneration of nerve cells

  - especially those in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain the areas generally associated with personality, behavior and language.

  Frontotemporal dementia symptoms:

  Because structures found in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain control judgment and social behavior, people with Frontotemporal dementia often have problems maintaining normal interactions and following social conventions. They may steal or exhibit impolite and socially inappropriate behavior, and they may neglect their normal responsibilities. Other common symptoms include loss of speech and language, compulsive or repetitive behavior, increased appetite, and motor problems such as stiffness and balance problems. Memory loss also may occur, although it typically appears late in the disease.

  Frontotemporal dementia brain changes:

  Frontotemporal dementia is a result from the shrinking of the outer layers of your brain in the areas just above your eyes (the frontal lobes) and/or close to your ears (the temporal lobes). As the healthy neurons slowly degenerate, they often accumulate abnormally folded proteins.

  Other diseases that cause dementia Parkinson's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Huntington's Disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Korsakoff syndrome, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Lyme Disease, Aphasia, Traumatic brain injury and certain viral infections as in Meningitis and Encephalitis.

  Dementia Is Not a Disease references: Alzheimer’s Association

  http://www.alz.org/dementia/types-of-dementia.asp#dlb http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp

  Stanford Health Care

  https://stanfordhealthcare.org/search-results.html/dementia

  National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dementias/dementia.htm Mayo Clinic

  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/home/ovc20198502

  Science Daily

  https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/dementia/

  Behind the Scenes A Special Thank You to

  Mom

  Stuart

  Tony, Steve, Paul, Mose, Lil'Vi and Zita. Allen, Craig, Chelsea, Ha, Grant, Gerold, Carol, Michael, Mandy, Herb, Josh, Olivia,

  Michelle, LaLa, Dalena, Rachel, Sabrina, Ernesto, Trevor, Carol and Jack, Janet and Sidney.