L9: Prevalence, Risk and
Symptoms
Introduction
Neurodegeneration
Types of degeneration
AD and dementia
Types of progressive dementias
Diagnosis
Typical path to diagnosis
Alzheimerʼs Disease AD
Prevalence
Risk factors
Non-modifiable risks
Modifiable risks
Preventative factors
Impact
Symptoms
Mild cognitive impairment MCI
Early stages and signs of AD
Main signs of AD
Later/ advanced stages of AD
Summary of stages
Depending factors of symptom presentation
Introduction
Neurodegeneration
Neurodegeneration
Progressive damage or death of neurons leading to a gradual deterioration
of the bodily functions controlled by the affected part of the nervous
system.
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 1
, Types of degeneration
Acute
Quick timeframe (first few minutes/ hours)
E.g stroke
Chronic
Slow timeframe (underlying pathology developing for many years until
symptoms start to show)
E.g AD, PD, Huntingtonʼs Chorea
Natural degeneration
E.g ageing
Disease-induced degeneration
E.g AD
AD and dementia
Dementia
Umbrella term for a particular group of syndromes
Symptoms = memory, language, problem-solving, other cognitive
abilities
Many different causes
Dementia is a collection of symptoms
AD is a known disease and the main cause of dementia
Not all dementia is caused by AD
Types of progressive dementias
Cortical Subcortical Mixed
Alzheimerʼs Disease AD Huntingtonʼs disease HD Lewy Body dementia
Motor neuron disease Parkinsonʼs Disease PD Vascular dementia
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 2
, Pickʼs disease Progressive supranuclear palsy Binswangerʼs disease
Progressive aphasia AIDS Dementia
Wilsonʼs disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease CJD
Not an ideal classification system as some diseases donʼt just reside in one
specific area
E.g AD will also go on to affect subcortical regions later on, not just
cortical
Diagnosis
Biological Assessment
MRI/CT scan
Psychological Assessment
Clinical Interviews
Psychological tests
Typical path to diagnosis
GP (non-specialist)
Listen to symptoms, search medical history
Basic memory tests (e.g General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition
GPCOG
Blood tests
Specialist referral from a memory clinic
Neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, geriatrician, neurologist
Cognitive assessments e.g. Mini-mental state examination
Short-term memory, attention, language, comprehension, motor
Repeated testing to see affect over time
Alzheimerʼs Disease (AD)
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 3
Symptoms
Introduction
Neurodegeneration
Types of degeneration
AD and dementia
Types of progressive dementias
Diagnosis
Typical path to diagnosis
Alzheimerʼs Disease AD
Prevalence
Risk factors
Non-modifiable risks
Modifiable risks
Preventative factors
Impact
Symptoms
Mild cognitive impairment MCI
Early stages and signs of AD
Main signs of AD
Later/ advanced stages of AD
Summary of stages
Depending factors of symptom presentation
Introduction
Neurodegeneration
Neurodegeneration
Progressive damage or death of neurons leading to a gradual deterioration
of the bodily functions controlled by the affected part of the nervous
system.
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 1
, Types of degeneration
Acute
Quick timeframe (first few minutes/ hours)
E.g stroke
Chronic
Slow timeframe (underlying pathology developing for many years until
symptoms start to show)
E.g AD, PD, Huntingtonʼs Chorea
Natural degeneration
E.g ageing
Disease-induced degeneration
E.g AD
AD and dementia
Dementia
Umbrella term for a particular group of syndromes
Symptoms = memory, language, problem-solving, other cognitive
abilities
Many different causes
Dementia is a collection of symptoms
AD is a known disease and the main cause of dementia
Not all dementia is caused by AD
Types of progressive dementias
Cortical Subcortical Mixed
Alzheimerʼs Disease AD Huntingtonʼs disease HD Lewy Body dementia
Motor neuron disease Parkinsonʼs Disease PD Vascular dementia
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 2
, Pickʼs disease Progressive supranuclear palsy Binswangerʼs disease
Progressive aphasia AIDS Dementia
Wilsonʼs disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease CJD
Not an ideal classification system as some diseases donʼt just reside in one
specific area
E.g AD will also go on to affect subcortical regions later on, not just
cortical
Diagnosis
Biological Assessment
MRI/CT scan
Psychological Assessment
Clinical Interviews
Psychological tests
Typical path to diagnosis
GP (non-specialist)
Listen to symptoms, search medical history
Basic memory tests (e.g General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition
GPCOG
Blood tests
Specialist referral from a memory clinic
Neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, geriatrician, neurologist
Cognitive assessments e.g. Mini-mental state examination
Short-term memory, attention, language, comprehension, motor
Repeated testing to see affect over time
Alzheimerʼs Disease (AD)
L9 Prevalence, Risk and Symptoms 3
