Dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a general term for a number of progressive, organic brain diseases affecting approximately 670,000 people in the UK. Most neurodegenerative diseases leading to dementia are characterized by processes that result in the aberrant polymerization of proteins, whereas a small proportion of individuals with these diseases develop dementia as a direct result of mutations or polymorphisms in genes influencing these processes. The most common cause of dementia, and the best studied, is Alzheimer's disease. Other important causes include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and fronto-temporal dementia. The management of dementia largely focuses on helping carers to cope with the increase in patients' physical dependence as the disease progresses and with the emergence of troublesome neuropsychiatric symptoms. Current pharmacological treatments are based on the neurochemical changes that are found in these diseases. Cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists offer some help in ameliorating the inevitable cognitive decline found in Alzheimer's disease. However, the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia is still largely empirical and is hampered by either limited efficacy or troublesome adverse effects.
Alzheimer's disease, cognitive deficits, dementia, fronto-temporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia
687-690
Holmes, Clive
ada5abf3-8459-4cf7-be40-3f4e9391cc96
Amin, Jay
692a8880-70ff-4b64-a7e9-7d0d53449a30
1 November 2016
Holmes, Clive
ada5abf3-8459-4cf7-be40-3f4e9391cc96
Amin, Jay
692a8880-70ff-4b64-a7e9-7d0d53449a30
Abstract
Dementia is a general term for a number of progressive, organic brain diseases affecting approximately 670,000 people in the UK. Most neurodegenerative diseases leading to dementia are characterized by processes that result in the aberrant polymerization of proteins, whereas a small proportion of individuals with these diseases develop dementia as a direct result of mutations or polymorphisms in genes influencing these processes. The most common cause of dementia, and the best studied, is Alzheimer's disease. Other important causes include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and fronto-temporal dementia. The management of dementia largely focuses on helping carers to cope with the increase in patients' physical dependence as the disease progresses and with the emergence of troublesome neuropsychiatric symptoms. Current pharmacological treatments are based on the neurochemical changes that are found in these diseases. Cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists offer some help in ameliorating the inevitable cognitive decline found in Alzheimer's disease. However, the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia is still largely empirical and is hampered by either limited efficacy or troublesome adverse effects.
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Published date: 1 November 2016
Keywords:
Alzheimer's disease, cognitive deficits, dementia, fronto-temporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia
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Local EPrints ID: 438758
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/438758
ISSN: 1357-3039
PURE UUID: ec351708-b533-46e6-803c-f43f6f515439
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Date deposited: 24 Mar 2020 17:30
Last modified: 12 Nov 2024 02:51
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