Dementia destroys brain structure, leading to loss of function and memory

StarNewsOnline.com
By Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writer

Imagine if you forgot how to walk. Now think about losing the ability to express yourself as words slip from your mind. What if you couldn’t take care of yourself because you didn’t know how?

For people living with dementia, this is an all-too familiar reality.

But why does this happen?

In Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, the death of brain cells triggers memory loss. The part of the brain that’s affected by this is the outer lining, called the cortex.

By contrast, in the less common form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia, brain cell death in the front and temporal lobes can be blamed for washing away a person’s ability to control behavior, make decisions, VERb emotions or communicate.

“Frontotemporal dementia is very strongly under-diagnosed,” Dr. Dan Kaufer, director of the UNC Memory Disorders Program. “If they don’t get to see experts who know what to look for, they are often lumped together with Alzheimer’s.”

Typically, what causes the brain to deteriorate is.......read the whole article

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