Dementia

• progressive cortical atrophy
• Alzheimer’s (AD) is the most common form
• also: CJD, vascular dementia, AIDS dementia , Fronto-temporal dementias (i.e. Pick's disease), and Diffuse Lewy Body Disease
• can result from vascular disease, infections, toxins, genetics
• Alzheimer's involves neurotransmitter insufficiencies (i.e. Norepinephrine, Acetylcholine) and formation of plaques of a protein called beta-amyloid

Symptoms include:

• loss of memory,
• personality changes
  
• no specific treatment

Treatment:

• Due to the many factors involved in Alzheimer's disease, potential treatments are continuously being researched, but none are too effective - some include amyloid blockers

Testing for Alzheimer's Disease

• Imaging
• r/o structural lesion
• Hippocampal atrophy (MRI)
• Temporo-parietal hypoperfusion and hypometabolism
• Apo E4 genotyping
  • increased Apo E4 in brain trauma leading to increased amyloid in excess which cannot be removed, leading to the cognitive deficits seen in AD
• Beta amyloid 1-42 is decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); Tau is increased in CSF
• Genetic tests for mutated Amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 1 (PS1), and presenilin 2 (PS2) genes