AstridGuide – Dementia & Alzheimer Guide

A-Z of Dementia Terms

Acetylcholine: It is a way of communication through chemicals between two adjacent nerve cells in the brain. In Dementia related cases, these brain cells are adversely affected.

ADAS: Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale. This scale measures the degree of disease in an Alzheimer’s Disease patient. Memory status and communication ability of a patient are graded by this measurement scale.

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AD7C Test: Also called the AlzheimAlert Test. It is used for detection of levels of neutral protein in cerebral fluid. Though, the Alzheimer’s Association doesn’t recommend this test.

Adult Day Care Service: Interaction session provided by various support groups amongst patients of Dementia.

Agnosia: The inability to recognize familiar persons, objects, sound, and smells. It is a common problem for Dementia patients.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD): The most common disease that causes Dementia. It is a fatal disease and mostly seen in people aged over 65. Forgetfulness, restlessness, personality change, behavior change, and hallucinations are some of the features of this disease.

Anoxia: A condition where oxygen supply to a tissue of any organ is absent, though there is blood circulation through this tissue. This is a common problem of head injury related Dementia.

Aphasia: Inability to speak, read and write or carry on prolonged conversations due to damage of neurons in the brain.

CTAR: Computerized Axial Tomography Scan. This process is used to get an enlarged vision of the brain.

Cholinesterase: A type of enzyme located in nerve cells of the brain. It is responsible for breaking down Acetylcholine between two adjacent nerve cells.

Claudicating: An early indication of vascular Dementia causing aches in legs and other parts of the body after some physical work.

CNS: Central Nervous System. The brain and spinal chord are main parts of this system.

Cognition: A combination of a processes including knowing, learning, thinking and judging.

Complex Visual Acuity: A condition where the brain does not allow people to recognize familiar persons or objects, though there is no deficiency with visibility.

CVA: The short form of cerebral-vascular accident.

Delirium: The moderate stage of Dementia where patients experience severe decline in memory. At this stage, usually patients are unable to think in an organized manner and often become confused over number for example.

Delusion: A false belief, opinion or state of being.

Electro-encephalogram: A test to detect any patch in the brain. Dementia patients are also checked with this diagnosis. It is called EEG in short.

Frontal Lobe Dementia (FLD): A sudden change in personality and behavior in a Dementia patient is called FLD.

Hypoxia: A condition where oxygen levels decreases in the brain.

Lewy Body Dementia (LBD): A progressive brain disease and a leading cause of dementia.

Lumbar puncture (LP): A process of removing spinal fluid from the canal for testing purpose. A common test for Dementia diagnosis.

MCI: Mild cognitive impairment. An early indication of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mini Mental State Examination: MMSE for short. An evaluation test to measure the degree of dementia.

Magnetic Resonance Images:(MRI): A mechanical process of generating images of the brain.

Neuro-degenerative: The decomposition of brain cells.

Parkinson’s Disease: A known disease causing Dementia.

Pseudo-Dementia: Inability to differentiate environment difference in spite of not having any mental or physical impairment. It is an early sign of Dementia.

Pick’s Disease: A leading cause of Frontal Lobe Dementia.

Synaptic gap: The gap between two adjacent nerve cells.

Vascular dementia: Dementia caused my impaired blood circulation in the brain which gradually develops in other parts of body due to restricted blood circulation.

Visuospatial Disturbances: Inability to make out a relation between an object and space described by that object.