Overview

The term “dementia” describes a collection of symptoms including cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, language and communication issues, and behavioral symptoms such as agitation. There are numerous causes of dementia ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to excessive alcohol use, and worldwide over 35 million individuals have some form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is by far the most common cause of dementia, followed by vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia; however, many individuals present with pathological characteristics of more than one dementia (i.e., “mixed” dementia). Although dementia risk increases significantly with age, dementia is not necessarily an inevitable consequence of getting older. Furthermore, while many forms of dementia are irreversible (including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and dementia with Lewy bodies), approximately 9% of individuals with dementia have potentially reversible conditions (e.g., vitamin deficiency, depression).

In this book, we will describe the most common causes of dementia, review best practices for differentially diagnosing dementia, as well as management strategies to help improve quality of life for both patients with dementia and the individuals who care for them.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, you should be better able to:

• • Identify the neurobiological and molecular bases of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

• • Apply differential diagnostic assessment of patients with dementia according to established best practices

• • Recognize the utility of currently available treatments for dementia

• • Explore the state of research on novel compounds in development for the treatment of dementia

Accreditation and Credit Designation Statements