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Alzheimer's Association
5
Dementia: Definition and Specific Types
Dementia is characterized by the loss of or decline in memory
and other cognitive abilities. It is caused by various diseases
and conditions that result in damaged brain cells. To be classified
as dementia, the following criteria must be met:
• It must include decline in memory and in at least one of the
following cognitive abilities:
1) Ability to generate coherent speech or understand
spoken or written language;
2) Ability to recognize or identify objects, assuming intact
sensory function;
3 ) Ability to execute motor activities, assuming intact
motor abilities, sensory function and comprehension of the
required task; and
4 ) Ability to think abstractly, make sound judgments
and plan and carry out complex tasks.
• The decline in cognitive abilities must be severe
enough to interfere with daily life.
Different types of dementia have been associated
with distinct symptom patterns and distinguishing
microscopic brain abnormalities. Increasing evidence
from long-term epidemiological observation and
autopsy studies suggests that many people have brain
abnormalities associated with more than one type of
dementia. The symptoms of different types of dementia
also overlap and can be further complicated by coexisting
medical conditions.
More About Alzheimer’s Disease
In Alzheimer’s disease, as in other types of dementia,
increasing numbers of nerve cells deteriorate and die.
A healthy adult brain has 100 billion nerve cells, or
neurons, with long branching extensions connected at
100 trillion points. At these connections, called
synapses, information flows in tiny chemical pulses
released by one neuron and taken up by the receiving
cell. Different strengths and patterns of signals move
constantly through the brain’s circuits, creating the
cellular basis of memories, thoughts and skills.
In Alzheimer’s disease, information transfer at the
synapses begins to fail, the number of synapses
declines and eventually cells die. Brains with advanced
Alzheimer’s show dramatic shrinkage from cell loss
and widespread debris from dead and dying neurons.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease can affect different people in
different ways, but the most common symptom
pattern begins with gradually worsening difficulty in
remembering new information. This is because
disruption of brain cells usually begins in regions
involved in forming new memories. As damage
spreads, individuals experience other difficulties.
The following are warning signs of Alzheimer’s:
• Memory loss that disrupts daily life
• Challenges in planning or solving problems
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work
or at leisure
• Confusion with time or place
• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial
relationships
• New problems with words in speaking or writing
• Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace
steps
• Decreased or poor judgment
• Withdrawal from work or social activities
• Changes in mood and personality
For more information about the warning signs of
Alzheimer’s, visit www.alz.org/10signs.
In advanced Alzheimer’s, people need help with
bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, eating and
other daily activities. Those in the final stages of the
disease lose their ability to communicate, fail to
recognize loved ones and become bed-bound and
reliant on 24/7 care. The inability to move around in
late-stage Alzheimer’s disease can make a person
more vulnerable to infections, including pneumonia
(infection of the lungs). Alzheimer’s disease is ultimately
fatal, and Alzheimer-related pneumonia is often
the cause.
Although families generally prefer to keep the person
with Alzheimer’s at home as long as possible, most
people with the disease eventually move into a nursing
home or another residence where professional care
is available.
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