Disease information and printable flyers compiled by our experts.
What is mild cognitive impairment?
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder of memory or other related cognitive process. A person with MCI experiences greater memory and thinking difficulties than expected with aging. However, the problems do not impair their ability to complete daily activities (as they do in other diseases causing dementia). It is important to recognize MCI because it puts a person at a greater risk of developing dementia in the future.
What are the causes of mild cognitive impairment?
The causes of MCI are not yet completely understood. Experts believe that many cases – but not all – result from brain changes occurring in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
What are the symptoms of mild cognitive impairment?
Experts classify MCI based on the thinking skills affected:
Amnestic MCI
Amnestic MCI primarily affects memory. A person with Amnestic MCI may start to forget important information that they would have previously recalled easily, such as appointments, conversations, and recent events.
Nonamnestic MCI
Nonamnestic MCI affects thinking skills other than memory. Thinking skills that may be affected by non-amnestic MCI include making sound decisions, judging the time or sequence of steps needed to complete a task, and visual perception.
How is mild cognitive impairment diagnosed?
MCI is a clinical diagnosis representing a doctor’s best professional judgment about the reason for a person’s symptoms. If a physician has difficulty confirming a diagnosis of MCI or the cause of MCI, brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tests may be performed to determine if the individual has MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease.
A medical exam for MCI includes a thorough medical history, an assessment of independent function and daily activities, input from a family member on function, an assessment of mental status, an in-office neurological exam, an evaluation of mood, and laboratory tests.
What are the prognosis and options for treatment?
There aren’t currently medications to slow the decline that can occur with MCI. Drugs approved to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may help those with MCI but have not been shown to prevent the progression of MCI to dementia.
Some studies suggest that the following may help slow decline: a healthy diet, exercise, and participating in mentally stimulating and socially engaging activities.
Where can I learn more?
More information about mild cognitive impairment can be found at:
The Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or by calling (800) 272-3900
The National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov or by calling (800) 438-4380
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain disease that causes damage to and destruction of nerve cells. It is the most common cause of dementia, which is a decline in thinking that interferes with one’s everyday functions.
A person with AD struggles with remembering, solving problems, and communicating.
A person with AD may also have changes in personality, mood, and behavior.
AD slowly worsens over time. It is believed that more than 5 million Americans over the age of 65 and at least 200,000 people in America under the age of 65 have the disease.
What are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease?
In AD, the brain contains abnormal protein deposits that form plaques (beta-amyloid protein) and tangles (tau protein) around and within nerve cells. The abnormal proteins interfere with the normal function of nerve cells and eventually result in nerve cell death. We now know that the changes in the brain that cause AD begin at least 20 years before a person develops symptoms of the disease. There is no known single cause of AD. However, scientists have learned a great deal about what factors may increase a person’s risk of developing AD. The single most important risk factor for developing AD is getting older. The likelihood of developing AD doubles every 5 years after age 65.
Additional factors influencing the risk of developing AD include family history, certain genes, other health conditions such as diabetes, diet, exercise practices, and education.
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
AD is often described in “stages.” Different symptoms mark the different stages of AD, though this varies from person to person. Progression from stage to stage is gradual.
Early stage
AD begins gradually and may, at first, be difficult to recognize. Commonly described difficulties include trouble with the following tasks: remembering recent events, keeping track of time, naming familiar people or things, solving problems, planning, and learning new things.
Middle stage
Memory loss progresses, and people find it more difficult to read, write, speak, perform household tasks, choose clothing, and bathe without reminders.
Late stage
A person with advanced AD can often not communicate, walk, or recognize people, places, or objects. They may sleep most of the time and often need full-time care.
How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed?
No single test leads to a diagnosis of AD. Rather, a diagnosis is made after a complete evaluation that includes a detailed history and physical exam, including information from family members or others with whom the person spends a lot of time, tests to evaluate memory and thinking, blood tests, brain scans, and, in some cases, spinal fluid testing.
What are the prognosis and options for treatment?
There is no known cure for AD. The duration of the disease can vary from a few years to more than 20, though most people with the disease die approximately 8-10 years after being diagnosed.
Five different prescription drugs are used to treat AD: Donepezil (Aricept®), Galantamine (Razadyne®), Rivastigmine (Exelon®), Memantine (Namenda®), and a combination drug called Namzaric®.
Where can I learn more?
More information about AD can be found at:
The Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or by calling (800) 272-3900
The National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov or by calling (800) 438-4380
What is Lewy body dementia?
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a brain disease that impairs thinking and often mobility. It is the third most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia. LBD accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases in the United States.
What are the causes of Lewy body dementia?
The cause of LBD is not known, and it is rarely inherited. In LBD, the brain contains abnormal protein deposits known as Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies also occur in Parkinson’s disease (PD) but are less widespread. In addition to Lewy bodies throughout the brain, the microscopic brain abnormalities found in AD are often also present with LBD.
What are the symptoms of Lewy body dementia?
A person with LBD may experience cognitive difficulties, visual hallucinations, significant day-to-day fluctuations in abilities, stiffness and slowness of movement, tremors, poor balance and falls, fainting or other periods of unresponsiveness, or acting out dreams.
How is Lewy body dementia diagnosed?
LBD is often confused with AD or PD. Accurate diagnosis is critical because people with LBD have distinct symptoms that require different treatment strategies and may be sensitive to certain medications.
A diagnosis of LBD is made after a thorough evaluation, which includes a discussion of symptoms, a physical exam, and diagnostic testing.
Blood tests and brain scans are often performed. The diagnosis may be confirmed after death with a brain autopsy showing Lewy bodies.
What are the prognosis and options for treatment?
LBD worsens over time and impairs the individual’s ability to live and function independently. Though there is not a known cure for LBD, three types of medications may be used to treat it: Cholinesterase inhibitors such as Aricept®, Razadyne, or Exelon®, drugs used to treat people with PD such as Sinamet®, or medications for visual hallucinations and behavioral problems.
Where can I learn more?
More information about Lewy Body dementia can be found at:
The Lewy Body Dementia Association: www.lbda.org or (800) 539-9767
The Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or by calling (800) 272-3900
The National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov or by calling (800) 438-4380
What is vascular dementia?
Vascular dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to various brain regions, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients. Vascular dementia is considered the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for up to 30% of cases.
What are the causes of vascular dementia?
Any condition that damages blood vessels anywhere in the body can cause brain changes linked to vascular dementia. Advancing age is a significant risk factor.
Additional risk factors are the same ones that raise the risk for heart problems, stroke, and other diseases that affect blood vessels. To reduce the risk of developing vascular dementia, follow these steps: Don’t smoke, keep a healthy blood pressure, cholesterol level, and blood sugar, eat a healthy diet, exercise, maintain a healthy weight, and limit alcohol consumption.
What are the symptoms of vascular dementia?
A person with vascular dementia may experience confusion, trouble paying attention and concentrating, reduced ability to organize thoughts, problems with memory, restlessness and agitation, or depression.
How is vascular dementia diagnosed?
Sometimes, vascular dementia is difficult to distinguish from Alzheimer’s disease. In many cases, a person may have both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This is referred to as mixed dementia or Alzheimer’s disease with stroke (or mini-strokes).
What are the prognosis and options for treatment?
Unfortunately, there are no treatments that can reverse the damage that has been done to the brain after it has occurred. However, physical therapy can help people recover immediately after a stroke. Medications and lifestyle changes can help prevent additional strokes.
Medications used to treat Alzheimer’s disease may also be helpful with vascular dementia.
Where can I learn more?
More information about vascular dementia can be found at:
The Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or by calling (800) 272-3900
The National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov or by calling (800) 438-4380
What is frontotemporal dementia?
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) refers to a group of diseases that damage the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain, resulting in significant changes in personality, behavior, and language ability.
The majority of people diagnosed with FTD are between the ages of 40 and 65.
Examples of FTD include Pick’s disease, frontotemporal dementia with motor neuron disease, primary progressive aphasia, and corticobasal degeneration.
FTD accounts for only about 5% of all dementia cases in the United States, but is one of the most common types of dementia in younger individuals.
What are the causes of frontotemporal dementia?
The cause of FTD is not known, and may differ between individuals. In about half of FTD patients, a normal brain protein called tau accumulates abnormally and forms deposits. In others, a separate protein known as TDP43 accumulates in the same way.
Unlike other dementias, FTD is highly heritable. Approximately 40% of individuals with FTD have an affected family member. In these individuals, FTD is usually caused by changes in one of their genes.
The diagnosis may be confirmed after death with a brain autopsy. Genetic testing can help reveal an underlying mutation responsible for FTD in about 40% of patients.
What are the symptoms of frontotemporal dementia?
FTD usually begins with gradual changes in personality, behavior, or speech. People with FTD may also have motor difficulties similar to those with Parkinson’s disease (rigidity and slowness of movement), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (weakness). Memory loss is present in FTD, but less obvious than in other types of dementia.
Other symptoms can include decreased speech, inability to name common objects, loss of motivation, lack of concern or sympathy for others, inappropriate social or sexual behavior, rigid and inflexible thinking, and compulsive, repetitive behaviors.
How is frontotemporal dementia diagnosed?
An accurate diagnosis is important and should be made after a thorough discussion of symptoms with a doctor, a careful medical history, an examination of changes in behavior, a physical exam, and other related tests.
Blood tests and brain scans are often performed. MRI or CT scans may show abnormalities in the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain. PET or SPECT scans may help distinguish FTD from other causes of dementia.
What are the prognosis and options for treatment?
FTD worsens over time and impairs the individual’s ability to live and function independently. Although there is no cure for FTD, there are medications that can help control the behavioral symptoms of the disorder. An accurate diagnosis can remove unnecessary medications that might otherwise worsen the disease symptoms.
Where can I learn more?
More information about frontotemporal dementia can be found at:
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration: https://www.theaftd.org/ or (866) 507-7222
The Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org or by calling (800) 272-3900
The National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov or by calling (800) 438-4380
What is primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and what are the signs and symptoms?
PPA is a type of dementia in which language abilities are the primary symptoms. Initial cognitive symptoms include difficulty with word-finding, repetition, naming, language comprehension, and articulation. Swallowing difficulties may also be present.
How is PPA caused, and what are the risk factors?
PPA can be caused by deposits of proteins such as tau, amyloid or TDP-43 in the brain. Damage in specific areas within the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions of the brain, along with specific language symptoms, dictates the particular type of PPA an individual may have. Some cases of PPA are inherited and have been tied to mutations in the genes GRN and MAPT.
PPA may cause changes in behavior.
Individuals with PPA are often aware of their communication difficulties, which may cause frustration, depression, anxiety, apathy or social withdrawal. Later in the disease course, behavioral problems such as impulsivity and disinhibition may occur. Movement problems like clumsiness or balance problems may also be present.
Where can I learn more?
