People with dementia get other signs that their brains are not working well, such as problems thinking or changes in their personality. As dementia gets worse, people can start to behave strangely or very differently. For example, they may get easily upset (agitated) or become aggressive.

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. The next most common types are dementia with Lewy bodies and vascular dementia. To read more, see Causes of dementia.

There isn't a cure for Alzheimer's and most other dementias, but there are treatments that can help with memory problems and other symptoms.

If someone close to you has dementia, it can be distressing to watch them gradually get worse. It can also be exhausting to look after them yourself, no matter how much you want to. Make sure you get help, from other family members or from health care professionals.

To understand dementia and how it's treated, it helps to understand how your brain works.

Your brain controls most things that your body does. It allows you to speak, think, move your arms and legs, recognize your family and build memories. Your brain also controls things like your breathing and body temperature.

Your brain is made up of billions of brain cells that share information with each other. Different groups of brain cells have different jobs to do. For example, some groups are involved in thinking, learning, remembering and planning. Other groups of cells deal with seeing or hearing. And other cells manage the millions of jobs that keep your body working normally.

Your brain cells need to communicate with each other. Messages travel between cells in the form of electrical signals. The electrical signals move from one cell to another with the help of brain chemicals called

 

 

 

 

 

neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help to carry messages between nerve cells. Serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline are all neurotransmitters.

 

 

 

 

 

neurotransmitters. Signals travel back and forth across the brain in a fraction of a second. Millions of signals are flashing through your brain right now.

For your brain to work properly, the cells must be healthy and in good working order. They need to keep stores of neurotransmitters. And they also need an energy supply, which comes from chemicals in your blood. Brain cells can last a lifetime, and they normally repair themselves if they get damaged.

Our memories are stored in brain cells. One part of the brain helps us remember what we did a few minutes or a few days ago (short-term memory). Another part of the brain holds our long-term memory. Long-term memories last for months or years. Important, useful or dramatic memories get stored in your long-term memory.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Guyton AC, Hall JE.
The cerebral cortex: intellectual functions of the brain; and learning and memory
In: Textbook of medical physiology. 10th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Heston LL, White JA.
The vanishing mind: a practical guide to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
WH Freeman, New York, U.S.A.; 1991.

 

 

 

 

 

²

As well as allowing us to remember what has happened to us, memory is important for everyday tasks. Almost everything we do relies on memory. Activities such as driving, or even catching a ball or turning on a faucet, rely on memory. We've learned to do these things in the past, and we need our memory to do them again.

If you have dementia, this means your brain is not working properly. Dementia causes problems with memory, thinking, behavior and personality.

One of the first signs of dementia is difficulty remembering things that happened recently. This is called short-term memory loss. As the condition gets worse, other memory problems can appear. For example, a person may have trouble remembering the names of friends or family. Or they may forget how to do simple tasks, such as making coffee.

Language can also become a problem. Someone with dementia may not be able to find the right words when talking. They may forget people's names or the names of common objects. Or they may not understand what other people are saying. Over time, someone with dementia may lose the ability to speak altogether.

As the illness gets worse, people with dementia may not be able to look after themselves. If they are left alone, they may wander off and get lost. Or they may hurt themselves when doing everyday tasks, such as cooking a meal. In the later stages of the disease, people with dementia often need full-time care.

Lots of conditions can cause dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common. The second most common is dementia with Lewy bodies. A damaged blood vessel near or in your brain can also cause dementia.

To read more, see Causes of dementia.

We don't know why some people get dementia and others don't. But we know there are things that make it more likely that some people will get it. These things are called risk factors. For example, getting older is a risk factor. And if someone in your family has Alzheimer's, you're more likely to get it than someone without any relatives who have the disease.

To learn more, see Risk factors for dementia.

Most people who have Alzheimer's get the first symptoms when they are elderly. But about 1 in 10 people with Alzheimer's have early-onset Alzheimer's disease. This form of the illness affects people in their 50s, 40s or even 30s. It often runs in families.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Whitehouse PJ.
Genesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Neurology. 1997; 48 (supplement 7): S2-S7.

 

 

 

 

 

³

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Centre.
Alzheimer's disease genetics fact sheet.
National Institute of Aging. Available at: http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/geneticsfs.htm (accessed on 7 October 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

The same is true for dementia with Lewy bodies. Although it usually starts in elderly people, it can also affect younger people.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Lewy Body Dementia Association Inc.
Lewy body dementia: LBD. 2004.
Available at: http://www.lewybodydementia.org/docs/brochure/3_brochure.pdf.(accessed on 7 October 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

The information on ConsumerReportsHealth.org should not be viewed as a substitute for a consultation with a medical or health professional. The information is meant to enhance communication with your doctor, not replace it. Consumers Union can not be liable for any loss, injury, or other damages related to your use of this information.

Your use of this information is subject to our User Agreement available at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.