Normal Age-Associated Memory Loss

• Slowdown of the ability to process new information (e.g., learn a new card game
• Slowdown of short-term memory (e.g., where did I put my keys, glasses?)
• Slowdown of search and retrieval functions (e.g., forgetting names, words

Dementia

• The loss of cognitive or intellectual function, such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning, so severe that it interferes with a person’s daily functioning and everyday life
• Not a disease in itself, but a group of symptoms that accompanies certain diseases or physical conditions
• Symptoms include poor judgment, disorientation, short attention span
• More than 50 different types of dementia exist, 15-20% are treatable, so it is important to get a comprehensive clinical assessment

Treatable Dementia (or “Pseudo-dementia”)

• Depression
• Alcoholism
• Drug reactions
• Thyroid disorders (or other metabolic)
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Brain tumors
• Head injuries
• Infections (e.g., AIDS, meningitis, UTI)
• Grief reactions
• Vision and hearing loss
• Fatigue

Causes of Progressive Dementia

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Multi-infarct dementia / vascular dementia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Lewy Body disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Pick’s disease
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus