Everyone forgets things at times. Perhaps you forget the name of someone you just met or misplace your car keys. Some degree of memory problems, as well as a modest decline in thinking skills, is a relatively common part of aging. There's a difference, however, between normal changes in memory and memory loss associated with Dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and related disorders. If you’re having memory problems and are concerned you may have dementia, board-certified neurologist Jontel Pierce, MD, at Mind Neurology Clinic can help. Call the Sugar Land or Katy, Texas, office to schedule a consultation or book online today.
Symptoms of dementia often include forgetfulness, thinking abilities, and limited social skills so impaired that it interferes with daily functioning.
People with dementia often experience memory loss, which can occur for numerous reasons, including:
The disease process of each condition is different. Memory loss isn't always the first sign of dementia, and types of memory problems can vary.
Damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections in the brain causes dementia. Diseases that cause damage to the brain and can result in the condition include:
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause.
Types of dementias that progress include:
Autopsy studies of the brains of people 80 and older with dementia indicate many had a combination of several types, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular, and Lewy body. Studies are ongoing to determine how mixed type affects symptoms and treatments.
Damage to vessels that supply blood to the brain causes vascular dementia. Blood vessel issues can cause strokes or affect the brain in other ways, like damaging fibers in the brain's white matter.
Common signs include difficulties with problem-solving, slowed thinking, loss of focus and organization, and problem-solving challenges. These signs tend to be more noticeable than memory loss.
Frontotemporal refers to a group of diseases characterized by the breakdown of nerve cells and their connections in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas are generally associated with behavior, personality, and language.
Symptoms typically affect behavior, personality, judgment, thinking, language, and movement.
Other disorders linked to dementia include:
Many people with Parkinson's develop dementia-related symptoms, referred to as Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD).
TBI is often the result of repetitive head trauma. Football players, boxers, or soldiers might develop TBI. Signs and symptoms of TBI-related dementia include depression, memory loss, explosiveness, and impaired speech.
TBI may also cause parkinsonism. Symptoms might not appear until years after the trauma.
To learn more about dementia and how the services provided at Mind Neurology Clinic can improve your quality of life, call the office to schedule a consultation. Or book one online today, which is fast and easy.