Major Neurocognitive Disorder

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

**Major Neurocognitive Disorder**, more commonly called **Dementia**, is an acquired disorder of cognitive function that is commonly characterized by impairments in memory, speech, reasoning, intellectual function, and/or spatial-temporal awareness. Dementia is not a single disease, it is an overall term that covers a wide range of specific medical conditions.

## Signs & Symptoms

Dementia symptoms may include problems with:

* Memory loss.
* Difficulty concentrating, planning or organizing.
* Language, such as using words incorrectly, or trouble speaking.
* Understanding.
* Judgement.
* Mood changes or difficulty controlling emotions.
* Movement.
* Misunderstanding what is being seen.
* Being confused about time or place.

Dementia affects each individual in a different way, depending on the underlying cause, other health conditions, and the individual's cognitive functioning before becoming ill. The signs and symptoms can be better understood in three stages.

### Early Stage

* Forgetfulness.
* Losing track of time.
* Becoming lost in familiar places.

### Middle Stage

* Becoming forgetful of recent events and others' names.
* Becoming confused while at home.
* Having increasing difficulty with communication.
* Needing help with personal care.
* Experiencing behavior changes.

### Late Stage

* Becoming unaware of time and place.
* Having difficulty recognizing relatives and friends.
* Having an increasing need for assisted self-care.
* Having difficulty walking.
* Experiencing behavior changes that may escalate and include aggression.

## Causes

Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability for brain cells to communicate with each other. When the cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and feelings can be affected. It is not a natural part of aging.

The likelihood of developing dementia increases with age. Dementia can affect younger individuals, this is often called **Young-Onset Dementia**.

## Treatment

Treatment for dementia depends on the underlying cause. Neurodegenerative dementias, like Alzheimer's, have no cure, though there are medications that can help protect the brain or manage symptoms such as anxiety or behavior changes.

## Types of Dementia

### Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's causes an individual to have trouble remembering recent events, difficulty remembering more distant memories occurs later in the disease. Other concerns like difficulty walking or talking or personality changes come later.

### Vascular Dementia

Vascular Dementia is linked to strokes or other issues with blood flow to the brain. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Symptoms very depending on the area and size of the brain impacted. It progresses in a step-wise fashion, meaning symptoms will get worse as the individual gets more strokes or mini-strokes.

### Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy Body Dementia causes individuals to have movement or balance problems like stiffness or trembling. Many individuals also experience changes in alertness including daytime sleepiness, confusion and staring spells. They may also have trouble sleeping at night or may experience visual hallucinations.

### Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal Dementia most often leads to changes in personality and behavior. Individuals with this condition may embarrass themselves or behave inappropriately. There may also be problems with language skills like speaking or understanding.

### Mixed Dementia

Mixed Dementia is when more than one type of dementia is present in the brain at the same time, especially in individuals aged 80 or older. It is not always obvious that an individual has mixed dementia since the symptoms of one type of dementia may be more prominent or may overlap with symptoms of another type. Progression may be faster than with one kind of dementia.

## References

https://www.amboss.com/us/knowledge/Major\_neurocognitive\_disorder

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/about/

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/what-is-dementia

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia