Dementia

Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships.

What Causes Dementia?

Dementia occurs due to loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It can affect several brain functions such as memory, thinking, language, planning, behavior and judgement. Dementias are usually progressive and worsen with time. They usually are degenerative and non reversible.

What is Dementia?

Differences Between Alzheimer's and Dementia

Dementia Diagnosis

Dementia Prevention

Dementia Symptoms

Dementia Treatment

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Bright Light Therapy and Dementia

Aromatherapy for Dementia

Coconut Oil and Dementia

What is Mixed Dementia?

See more featured articles »

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Dementia

Childhood Dementia Causes

Mixed Dementia Prevention and Treatment

Mixed Dementia Symptoms and Diagnosis

Childhood Dementia Signs and Symptoms

Parkinson's Compared to Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

Antidepressants and Dementia: Is There a Link?

Does Depression and Anxiety Increase the Risk of Dementia?

Migraines and Dementia

Latest Dementia News and Research

Risks of antipsychotic use in dementia extend beyond previous alerts, study shows

Antipsychotic use in people with dementia is associated with higher risks of a wide range of serious health outcomes compared with non-use, according to a new study from a collaboration across the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Dundee.

23 Apr 2024

Large-scale study identifies new approach to early Alzheimer's detection

Digital memory test and a blood sample - this combination will be tested for its potential to identify early Alzheimer's disease in a new research study. Over a hundred healthcare centers are part of the study that is now inviting participants to sign up. At least 3,000, preferably many more participants are needed for the study to be successful.

23 Apr 2024

Ophthalmological method can be used to monitor neurodegeneration in Parkinson's patients

A study by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Biobizkaia proposes using an available, simple, non-invasive tool to monitor this neurodegeneration.

22 Apr 2024

Study identifies potential strategy to diminish the devastating impacts of traumatic brain injuries

For the roughly 1.5 million Americans per year who survive a traumatic brain injury, health outcomes vary widely.

22 Apr 2024

Cognitively stimulating jobs in midlife linked to lower dementia risk

People with a history of cognitively stimulating occupations during their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia after age 70, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Columbia Aging Center, and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

18 Apr 2024

Study shows antipsychotic drugs increase health risks in dementia patients

Study found that antipsychotic drug use in dementia patients is linked to increased risks of stroke, heart failure, and other serious conditions.

18 Apr 2024

Study explores tocotrienols' neuroprotective effects in obesity-related cognitive decline

Obesity has become a pressing worldwide health issue, with rates steadily rising over recent decades.

18 Apr 2024

New platform can deliver gene therapy precisely to specific areas of the brain

A novel approach to gene therapy is improving lives in ways once thought impossible. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have developed a new platform to deliver the gene therapy precisely to specific areas of the brain.

18 Apr 2024

Antipsychotics for dementia associated with elevated risks of serious adverse outcomes

Antipsychotic use in people with dementia is associated with elevated risks of a wide range of serious adverse outcomes including stroke, blood clots, heart attack, heart failure, fracture, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury, compared with non-use, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

17 Apr 2024

Universities collaborate on $15 million project investigating inflammation's role in cardiac and brain diseases

Research teams from Northwestern University Chicago Campus, University of Michigan and University of Pittsburgh will lead a $15 million project dedicated to studying inflammation's role in cardiac and brain diseases.

17 Apr 2024

Exploring Alzheimer's disease risk among Middle Eastern and North African immigrants

A new study led by Neda Jahanshad, PhD, a researcher at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI), is set to illuminate the underexplored domain of brain aging and risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) adults in the United States.

16 Apr 2024

Study reveals accelerated progression of Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome

Nearly all adults with Down syndrome will develop evidence of Alzheimer's disease by late middle age.

16 Apr 2024

Study reveals molecular changes in brain cells with Lewy bodies

A new study from Van Andel Institute scientists offers a first look into the complex molecular changes that occur in brain cells with Lewy bodies, which are key pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and some dementias.

16 Apr 2024

Is spousal cardiovascular disease associated with an increased risk for depression?

Whether the spouses of those affected are more likely to become depressed after such events.

16 Apr 2024

Childhood traumatic experiences may get "under the skin" later in life

A University of Michigan study has shown that traumatic experiences during childhood may get "under the skin" later in life, impairing the muscle function of people as they age.

15 Apr 2024

Study unlocks genetic secrets in APOEε4 carriers that could defend against Alzheimer's

Researchers utilized whole-genome sequencing and pathway analysis to uncover protective genetic variations against Alzheimer's disease in APOEε4 carriers, revealing a crucial role for extracellular matrix-related genes in mitigating the disease's progression.

15 Apr 2024

Mayo Clinic study offers insights into lucid episodes in dementia

A recent Mayo Clinic study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association investigated lucid episodes in people living with later stages of dementia, providing insights into how these occurrences reveal themselves.

13 Apr 2024

Patient-centered cardiovascular care enhances outcomes

Adult cardiovascular care centered on the patient can improve individuals' experiences and their medical outcomes, according to a new American Heart Association Scientific Statement published today in Circulation.

12 Apr 2024

Quality dementia care in nursing homes: Lessons from the pandemic

No one associated with nursing homes – as residents or their families, friends, staff or administrators – is unaware of the massive impact of the pandemic on these facilities which provide essential services to a growing number of older adults, many living with cognitive impairment.

12 Apr 2024

Older adults' social patterns shift post-pandemic, study finds

Years after the U.S. began to slowly emerge from mandatory COVID-19 lockdowns, more than half of older adults still spend more time at home and less time socializing in public spaces than they did pre-pandemic, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.

10 Apr 2024