Dementia
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior, and feelings can be affected. Treatment of dementia depends on its cause. In the case of most progressive dementias, including Alzheimer's disease, there is no cure.
Types of Dementia
There are many different types of dementia.
- Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of cases.
- Vascular dementia which occurs because of microscopic bleeding and blood vessel blockage in the brain is the second most common cause of dementia.
- Lewy Body dementia is a disease associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain.
- Frontotemporal dementia is the breakdown of nerve cells and their connections in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
- Parkinson's Disease Dementia
- Huntington's Disease
- Those who experience the brain changes of multiple types of dementia simultaneously have mixed dementia.
- There are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
Video Library
Alzheimer's Disease What is dementia with Lewy bodies?
What is vascular dementia? What is frontotemporal dementia?
Dementia Resources
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