Alzheimer’s Disease - Visual-spatial perception - ability to Relative risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease

- Irreversible, progressive brain disease recognize objects, physical locations and - Family hx of dementia
that slowly destroys memory and relationship with objects (purpose of - Family hx of Down’s
thinking skills. things). - Family hx of Parkinson’s
- Symptoms first appear after 60. - Judgment - ability to make considerable - Head trauma (w/ LOC)
- Involves decline in cognition. decisions.
- Most common cause of dementia - Abstraction behavior - ability to function,
among older people. adapt behavior to transformation of
- Cerebral cortex (Frontal lobe) - more than environment. (cannot adapt to sudden
half cases. changes in environment ex. Loud sounds
- Prognosis for this disease is poor at parties)
Statistics
Areas of cognition (decline in 2 or more areas) - Affects at around 3-5 million people
- Memory - processes used to acquire, - As society progresses, more people will
store and retain information. be affected by AD.
- Language - principal method of human - 2023 > 8 million / 2050 > 14 million.
communication. Conveyed by speech, Etiology
writing and articulation. - Unknown cause
- Calculation - mathematical - Pathologic changes occur 5-20 years
determination / assessment of risks, before evidence of symptoms
possibilities or effects of particular - Hereditary links
situation.