What is dementia?
In: Other
Dementia is the primary end stage symptom of degenerative diseases of the brain. In short it’s the accumulation of neuronal injuries that build up over time. Every neurodegenerative dementia disorder works differently.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. In this disease it’s a cell membrane protein called amyloid that accumulates in the brain instead of being cleared properly with the brain’s metabolic garbage in our cerebrospinal fluid. In its accumulated form it is toxic to structural proteins like this one called tau. This causes the structure of affected brain cells to break down, causing a neuronal injury. The buildup of these micro-injuries eventually results in atrophy of the brain itself. The combination of injuries at the small scale and loss of brain volume at a larger scale manifests as cognitive symptoms collectively called dementia.
More practically, dementia is when a person’s cognitive impairment is severe enough that they lack the ability to function independently and require significant personal care and assistance. There is a wide spectrum in people with dementia and also a lot of daily variation.
Please feel free to ask more here or through DMs.
Latest Answers