Common Types of Dementia In general, dementia is defined as “a deterioration of cognitive functioning that impacts one’s ability to meet the intellectual demands of their daily life” (Maitra, 2007, p 184). Though there are multiple types of dementia, there is no specific testing to diagnose these different types. The symptoms and behavioral effects of the disease are used to help the doctor determine which form of dementia the patient most likely has. Symptoms can either onset slowly or show up as a rapid decline in ones cognitive function (Maitra, 2007). A few of the most common forms of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and normal pressure hydrocephalus.
Alzheimer’s Disease
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Eventually this disease will leave the patient with out the ability to remember themselves, friends, or family. It can also leave them unable to talk, walk, or take part in normal daily activities such as dressing, eating, or personal hygiene. Behavioral changes may also occur causing agitation, confusion, anxiety, or aggression (Pasinetti & Hiller-Sturmhöfel, 2008).
Although there is no single known cause for Alzheimer’s disease scientists have found physiological changes in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients such as plaques, tangles, and cholinergic deficits. The irreversible physiological changes found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients consists of either clumps of protein fragments known as amyloid plaques or twisted strands of protein called neurofibrillary tangles. These changes may occur many years before any symptoms of the disease even appear. Once this damage occurs it continues to spread throughout the brain. (Pasinetti & Hiller-Sturmhöfel,