Alzheimer’s and dementia

Neurodegenerative diseases characterized by cortical atrophy, neuronal death, and synapse loss, causing a significant decline in functioning. Early features include deficits in memory, anomia, executive dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and subtle personality changes such as decreased energy, social withdrawal, indifference, and impulsivity.

As these progress, there is global deterioration of cognitive capacities with intellectual decline, aphasia, agnosia, and apraxia as well as behavioral features, including apathy, emotional blunting, mood-dependent delusions, decreased sleep and appetite, and increased motor activity.

Age of onset varies with the cause but is usually late in life. Dementia should not be confused with age-associated memory impairment or mild cognitive impairment, which have a much less deleterious effect on day-to-day functioning.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology