How Brain Ageing Can Lead To Dementia
Your brain’s capacity gradually reduces as you start aging. When this happens, some of the nerve cells in the brain can shrink or miss connections with other nerve cells. Blood flow within your brain also decreases in old age.
These age-related alterations are thought to be behind the deterioration in cognitive function many people notice as they age. Everyone has lapses in memory from time to time, but distinct memory loss is not a normal part of old age.
It is necessary to talk with a medical expert if you or a loved one is facing the problem of memory loss and other cognitive symptoms that interfere with normal activities.
Brain Changes That Can Lead to Dementia
Dementia is the impairment of functions of the brain, including memory, language abilities, reasoning, perception, and judgment. There are numerous different causes of dementia, including:
- Alzheimer’s Disease: It is the most common cause of dementia; it occurs when nerve cells in the brain become damaged or get perished, which commences a progressive deterioration of the cognitive ability.
- Vascular Dementia: The leading cause of memory loss is vascular dementia which occurs when the nerve fibres in the brain get damaged by cerebrovascular or cardiovascular problems & most commonly by stroke.
- Lewy Body Dementia: Lewy body disease occurs when cells in certain areas of the brain die, forming abnormal, protein-filled entities known as Lewy bodies.
- Frontotemporal Dementia: It occurs when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain suffer damage; normal brain activity gets hampered and this results in brain cell death.
- Other Conditions: Conditions like HIV infection, Huntington’s disease, trauma to the head, and other health conditions can also induce nerve cell damage in the brain, leading to the devastating condition of dementia.
Awareness Is Important
It is imperative that all of us be aware of certain basic symptoms of deterioration in memory and cognitive abilities, so that timely action can be taken against the onset of any of the diseases or disorders that cause Dementia.
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Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.