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Brain health made easy
Dementia
Overview
A short understanding of Dementia
Dementia isn't one thing
It's a collective term for a group of symptoms, caused by physical changes to the brain. These cognitive & physical symptoms progress to significantly impact the person's everyday life, to the extent to which they cannot live independently.
The physical changes can be caused by several different identified 'conditions'.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause
60% of cases are Alzheimer's, which is why the term Dementia and Alzheimer's are often used interchangeably.
It's a degenerative condition
This means that the physical changes to the brain happen over the course of years, even decades. Symptoms manifest once the damage has reached a cumulative tipping point where they have a tangible impact on brain function.
Rare forms manifest before 65
These are inherited genetic faults, there's a variety with distinct symptom patterns that can start as early as the 30s.
Memory isn't the only warning sign
These are some of the capabilities most commonly impacted.
There's a lot of overlap between the types of dementia and the symptoms they cause. Which ones occur is all down the the brain area impacted by damage.
Even amongst people with the same 'type', due to the individual nature of the disease, the severity and order in which they present themselves can differ.
Memory loss is the most common symptom associated with dementia.
Often, it is recent memories that are most notably affected. Recent events, names, faces and information are hard to recall.
Similarly, remembering locations - misplacing things is quite common, or placing them in unusual places.
This leads to repetition, either saying or asking the same things often. Additionally, following conversations or complex stories can become difficult as they struggle to retain information.
Often impacted by impaired memory, people can get lost in usually familiar places and end up disorientated.
People with dementia may struggle with planning and organizing activities. This can manifest in tasks like:
Difficulty making decisions: They might have trouble choosing what to wear, where to go, or what to eat.
Problems with sequencing: They may have trouble understanding the order of steps in a task, such as getting dressed or preparing a meal.Dementia can affect motor skills and coordination, leading to:
Clumsiness: They may have difficulty walking, using utensils, or buttoning their clothes.
Difficulty with balance: They may be more prone to falls.Language skills can deteriorate in people with dementia, resulting in:
Word-finding difficulties: They may struggle to find the right words to express themselves.
Difficulty understanding language: They may have trouble following conversations or understanding written material.
Changes in speech patterns: They may speak slowly, repeat themselves, or use incorrect wordsAnxiety & Depression are common symptoms of dementias'.
These manifest themselves in things like irritability, loss of interest in usual topics or hobbies and lack of confidence.
Due to the complexity, there's many ways in which people can be 'not themselves' as disease progression changes the ability to regulate emotions and impulses.
Perception changes are about their ability to interpret information coming to them.
Difficulty interpreting visual information can lead to misidentifying familiar faces or objects. People might struggle with depth perception or judging distances.
Some individuals may have trouble understanding spoken language, leading to confusion or miscommunication.
Dementia-like symptoms can be caused by other things
The workings of our brain are highly sensitive to both our internal and external environments. Because they are so complex, it means many things can interfere.
MINDer is therefore also helpful in the diagnosis of other cognitive issues, because we're all about getting you to take your brain health seriously.
Postnatal
Stress
Medication
Menopause
Brain Injury
MS
Stroke
Post Op Decline
Drug Abuse
Cancer
B12 Deficiency
Hypothyroidism
Dementia Types
Common
Rare
FAD
30-50 y/o
FAD stands for Familial Alzheimers Disease
This variation is caused by a genetic fault that accelerates the build up of Amyloid and Tau proteins that cause Alzheimers, meaning cognitive decline starts much earlier in life.
Similar to typical Alzheimer's, the main symptom is progressive, sevear memory loss, accompanied by issues with decision making, navigation and problem solving.
It is an inhereted condition, with children having a 50% chance of getting the faulty gene from the parent. Genetic testing is available for people with a known family history, to check if they've inhereted the faulty gene. This allows
Posterior Cortical Atrophy
50-65 y/o
This is a degredation specific to the back of the brain, where visual processing happens.
As such, most of the issues are with sight and understanding what they see.
This is a similar plaque and protein build up to the more generalised Alzheimers.
Parkinsons
50+ y/o
Classically associated with slowing of movements & tremors
This is caused by Lewy Body proteins, as in the more common 'Lewy Body' dementia
1/3 of people will develop dementia like cognitive symptoms in the later stages
Huntington's
30-50 y/o
Clearly linked to a genetic fault in the production of the Huntington protein, that impacts nerve cell development.
Onset of symptoms most commonly seen in motor functions (movement), it can then later progress to cognitive impairments.
FAD
30-50 y/o
FAD stands for Familial Alzheimers Disease
This variation is caused by a genetic fault that accelerates the build up of Amyloid and Tau proteins that cause Alzheimers, meaning cognitive decline starts much earlier in life.
Similar to typical Alzheimer's, the main symptom is progressive, sevear memory loss, accompanied by issues with decision making, navigation and problem solving.
It is an inhereted condition, with children having a 50% chance of getting the faulty gene from the parent. Genetic testing is available for people with a known family history, to check if they've inhereted the faulty gene. This allows
Posterior Cortical Atrophy
50-65 y/o
This is a degredation specific to the back of the brain, where visual processing happens.
As such, most of the issues are with sight and understanding what they see.
This is a similar plaque and protein build up to the more generalised Alzheimers.
Parkinsons
50+ y/o
Classically associated with slowing of movements & tremors
This is caused by Lewy Body proteins, as in the more common 'Lewy Body' dementia
1/3 of people will develop dementia like cognitive symptoms in the later stages
Huntington's
30-50 y/o
Clearly linked to a genetic fault in the production of the Huntington protein, that impacts nerve cell development.
Onset of symptoms most commonly seen in motor functions (movement), it can then later progress to cognitive impairments.
More
Corticobasal syndrome
Progressive supranuclear palsy
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Niemann-Pick disease
Wernicke Korsakoff
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Alzheimer's
60%
The most common form of dementia.
Amyloid plaque + Tau protein tangles build up in brain tissue over time, which lead to progressive symptoms of cognitive decline.
Build up can occur across brain areas, which in turn will determine symptoms experienced.
There's 2 main manifestations:
Amnesic - Where memory problems are the main feature (Common)
Non-amnesic - These subtypes occur when protein build up effect a specific area of the brain more
We list them out in the rarer sub types, with the exception of logopenic aphasia which is an issue with langauge (understanding and communicating).
65+ y/o
Frontotemporal (FTD)
1 in 20 cases
2 main types give very distictive symptoms:
Behavioural variant FTD
The front of the brain is responsible for 'higher order' thinking and personality, so symptoms are often changes in temperament and implusivity.
This is easily mistaken for other mental health issues such as personality disorders, especially because it occurs in relatively young people.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
Symptoms manifest as a breakdown in the ability to communicate.
This can be difficulty in producing speech, writing and also in understanding written and verbal communication.
Once again caused by a build up of protein specific to the front and side parts of the brain.
40-65 y/o
Lewy Body
10-15%
Early on it can seem similar to Alzheimer's, but there's often key distinctions:
Visual hallucinations
Fulctuating problems with attention makes it hard to see a pattern.
Sleep disturbances especially Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder in which a person seems to act out dreams while asleep.
As it develops, people often experience Parkinsons-like movement issues. "Lewy bodies" refer the build up in proteins that cause both types of Dementia.
60+ y/o
Vascular
20%
Miniture strokes in the brain lead to reduced blood flow, resulting in cell death and therefore dimished capabilities.
Quite often people have 'Mixed dementia' which is a combination of both Alzheimers and Vascular dementia.
The symptoms of vascular dementia depend on the area of the brain that's impacted.
60+ y/o
Alzheimer's
65+ y/o
The most common form of dementia.
Amyloid plaque + Tau protein tangles build up in brain tissue over time, which lead to progressive symptoms of cognitive decline.
Build up can occur across brain areas, which in turn will determine symptoms experienced.
There's 2 main manifestations:
Amnesic - Where memory problems are the main feature (Common)
Non-amnesic - These subtypes occur when protein build up effect a specific area of the brain more
We list them out in the rarer sub types, with the exception of logopenic aphasia which is an issue with langauge (understanding and communicating).
60%
Frontotemporal (FTD)
40-65 y/o
2 main types give very distictive symptoms:
Behavioural variant FTD
The front of the brain is responsible for 'higher order' thinking and personality, so symptoms are often changes in temperament and implusivity.
This is easily mistaken for other mental health issues such as personality disorders, especially because it occurs in relatively young people.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
Symptoms manifest as a breakdown in the ability to communicate.
This can be difficulty in producing speech, writing and also in understanding written and verbal communication.
Once again caused by a build up of protein specific to the front and side parts of the brain.
1 in 20 cases
Lewy Body
60+ y/o
Early on it can seem similar to Alzheimer's, but there's often key distinctions:
Visual hallucinations
Fulctuating problems with attention makes it hard to see a pattern.
Sleep disturbances especially Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder in which a person seems to act out dreams while asleep.
As it develops, people often experience Parkinsons-like movement issues. "Lewy bodies" refer the build up in proteins that cause both types of Dementia.
10-15%
Vascular
60+ y/o
Miniture strokes in the brain lead to reduced blood flow, resulting in cell death and therefore dimished capabilities.
Quite often people have 'Mixed dementia' which is a combination of both Alzheimers and Vascular dementia.
The symptoms of vascular dementia depend on the area of the brain that's impacted.
20%
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