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Many conditions can affect your memory and your thinking.
Dementia, Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment. These terms are often mentioned together to describe age-related memory loss. Although they are related in a certain way, they are not necessarily the same and they often affect people differently.
"Although memory loss is becoming more common with age, it's not part of normal aging," says Dr. Gad Marshall, deputy medical director of the Alzheimer's Research and Treatment Center. Brigham and Women's Hospital, affiliated with Harvard. "Persistent, sudden or gradual changes in memory loss and mental failures can be signs of more serious conditions."
Although it is impossible to cure most diseases that cause cognitive decline, recognition of key symptoms may offer an opportunity to consult a doctor before any memory loss worsens. "It can also help you and your loved ones better understand the situation you are facing," said Dr. Marshall.
The two major categories of cognitive decline are mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Although people with MCI are at a higher than average risk of developing dementia, for many, the symptoms remain stable and do not progress. Once people have dementia, the situation almost always gets worse. Here is a look at both.
Mild cognitive impairment
MCI means that a person has more than the usual minor cognitive decline that accompanies aging. According to the Alzheimer's Association, up to 20% of adults over 65 years old have this condition.
There are two types of MCI. The first, amnestic MCI, refers to memory problems such as frequently storing everyday objects such as your glbades or quickly forgetting recently learned information.
The second category, non-amniotic MCI, involves changes in areas other than memory – for example, attention and concentration difficulties, planning and navigation skills.
People have trouble recognizing MCI because they regard their mental failures as "major moments" and the fact that they can still do many daily routines.
"MCI tends to be a gradual illness and the symptoms can last for three to five years before worsening or degenerating into dementia," says Dr. Marshall. "In addition, if your MCI is diagnosed, it does not mean that you are on the path to dementia or that Alzheimer's is the underlying cause of your symptoms."
Dementia
Dementia is not a specific disease, but rather a syndrome caused by one or more brain disorders.
Memory loss is the most common symptom, but people may also have language problems, have difficulty solving their problems, undergo personality and behavioral changes, and have difficulty with activities of daily living. , such as dress and feed. About 90% of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or a combination of both.
Alzheimer's disease. People with Alzheimer's have trouble remembering names, people, and recent events, and the symptoms worsen over time. They may have difficulty speaking, reading or writing and forget about routine tasks such as brushing their teeth. They can also become anxious, depressed or aggressive.
The researchers believe that two brain changes are the main causes of Alzheimer's disease: tau protein entanglements and accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques.
Tau is a normal protein that contributes to the transport of nutrients in brain cells and their elimination. However, sometimes the tau protein becomes abnormal due to stray genes or its aging, which causes the entanglement of parts of the protein. When this happens, nutrients and toxins can no longer move freely in the cells. Result: brain cells eventually die. Entanglements are often formed in the regions used for memory, but spread rapidly in the rest of the brain.
Beta amyloid is a protein fragment found in the fatty membrane surrounding brain cells. When beta-amyloid clumps, it forms a plaque in the brain, of which large amounts are badociated with brain cell death.
However, tau protein entanglements and beta-amyloid plaque buildup may occur without any sign of memory problems. "These people are at greater risk of developing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but do not necessarily do so," says Dr. Marshall.
Vascular dementia. In vascular dementia, the other major form of dementia, memory problems result from blockages caused by the buildup of cholesterol plaque in the blood vessels of the brain. Blockages can cut oxygen to brain cells, killing them.
Blockages in small blood vessels can result in a series of minor strokes. Symptoms are often ignored because they mimic the "most advanced moments", such as forgetting a name or information that has just been learned. "About 25% of dementia cases are due to vascular dementia alone or in combination with other causes," says Dr. Marshall. "In the beginning, brain damage can be minor, causing subtle symptoms that are not noticed at first."
Image: © Cecilie_Arcurs / Getty Images
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