Dementia’s Impact on Age and The Brain

1. Dementia’s Impact on Age and The Brain Some degree of memory loss is a normal part of aging; you might forget where your keys are or what the name of your first-grade teacher was. But more serious cases could be signs of a progressive condition that can impact the brain, such as like dementia. Dementia is defined as a persistent or chronic disorder of mental processes resulting in impaired reasoning, personality changes, and memory disorders. If this has happened to an elderly loved one, it may be time to consider dementia care in San Antonio TX. Certain types of dementia will change the entire brain. Alzheimer’s, for instance, results in nerve cell death and loss of brain tissue, ultimately causing the brain to shrink and affecting almost all its functions. In advanced Alzheimer’s, the cortex shrivels up and damages the areas that are responsible for remembering, planning, and thinking. The hippocampus takes most of the damage, so short- term memory becomes affected, too. Meanwhile, the fluid-filled areas in the brain (known as ‘ventricles’) grow bigger. Dementia care in San Antonio TX involves carefully monitoring the gradual effect of the condition on an individual’s brain while making sure that the individual is safe and comfortable. Alzheimer’s is a form of progressive dementia that can cause different symptoms such as changes in personality and memory loss. The symptoms can manifest over time and can be observed through the behavior and actions of individuals with the condition. A study in Sweden discovered changes in the person’s brain as associated with those symptoms, using PET imaging. The findings have helped identify dementia’s impact on the brain. It was found that as Alzheimer’s continues to progress, an individual could experience various symptoms and signs like impaired orientation, memory impairment, and diminished spatial perception. Through PET scanning, researchers realized that they can detect those symptoms in a non-invasive manner. Dementia can affect certain parts of the brain and cause some significant changes to it. PET imaging revealed that on the onset of Alzheimer’s, tau protein lumps in the brain occur to interrupt the neurons’ transport routes. Changes in different parts of the brain were seen in the images, and they logically correspond to the symptoms of early and late onset Alzheimer’s. Dementia care in San Antonio TXseeks to help individuals manage the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Doctors typically diagnose a patient as having dementia when two or more cognitive functions have become significantly impaired, such as language skills, memory, understanding of information, attention, judgment, and spatial skills. Due to the condition, a person with dementia will have difficulty controlling their emotions and solving problems. They could experience hallucinations or delusions, become easily agitated, and behave differently than they normally would.