20 Things To Know About Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer's facts

( A and B show the correlation of cognitive impairment in early dementia )

Dementia disorders are one of the major problems faced by societies with aging populations. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which generally makes its appearance after the age of 60. As a rule, it is preceded by a phase of mild cognitive impairment that does not diminish quality of life. Forgetting the keys or checking twice for the post – these slight impairments of memory are easy enough to live with. Experience shows that only about half of those affected by such forgetfulness go on to develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia in the following years.

“In dementias, other thought processes are often affected as well as memory, such as those known as the executive or control functions”, explains Matthias Schroeter of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Using brain scans and modern imaging techniques, his team in Leipzig are working to make early diagnosis possible. “These control functions come into play when we face new and unexpected situations, for example, enabling us to react in flexible and appropriate ways. If they are affected in addition to memory, patients can no longer compensate for their handicap by, say, writing reminders for themselves.” Deficiencies in these control functions actually indicate that dementia is imminent.

In a current study, the researchers use measurements of brain metabolism to show that impairments to the control functions are reflected in a specific part of the frontal lobe of the brain, the inferior frontal junction. The data suggests that this junction, where two depressions or sulci meet, is of major importance in the development of dementia and its symptoms. Continue to read: medicalxpress.com

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