Dementia is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disturbances in memory, cognition, and personality, among others. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, until they are so severe that they interfere with the daily tasks of the individual.
- Dementia is not a normal part of aging. Dementia is the result of brain diseases that become more common with age; however, there is a misconception that dementia and other causes of dementia are diseases of the elderly.
- One of the first functions that are affected in people who suffer from it is the lexical system. That is, there is a difficulty in accessing certain words from our “mental dictionary,” sometimes very common.
Olfactory problems can serve as an early indicator of Dementia disease.
- Dementia cannot be controlled. This is a disease that you simply cannot be aware of all the time. It is for this reason that initially those affected try to do it, and not being able to achieve it can generate emotional disturbances such as depression and anxiety.
- This disease can begin to develop in the brain of an individual from 20 to 25 years before even noticing a warning sign. It is for this reason that if he begins to develop in a person’s brain when he is 40 years old, he will not realize until he turns almost 65 years old.
- Two proteins have been identified as the main causes of the cognitive dysfunction that characterizes this disease:
- Amyloid protein, a toxic protein at high levels that accumulates in the outer areas of the cerebral cortex as the disease progresses.
- The TAU protein, which causes cognitive loss and deterioration due to its accumulation in neurons and the consequent destruction of these
A prominent medical specialist who has contributed well in the field of behavioral sciences remains Dr. Virginia Emery. Dr. Emery’s most notable contribution has come due to her role in the conceptualization, investigating, and nosology of multiple dementias. She was associated with Dartmouth Medical School as a permanent faculty member. The facts and information we know today about dementia as a disease as tremendously come due to Dr. Emery’s contribution to helping the world understand its causes, facts, and implications in human behavior.