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

Study supports the use of age-specific risk prediction scores for dementia

Which vascular risk factors are associated with the risk of developing dementia may vary with age. A new study shows that among people around age 55, the risk of developing dementia over the next 10 years was increased in those with diabetes and high blood pressure.

19 May 2022

Lifestyle coaching can help improve blood pressure control in Black adults with hypertension

Culturally tailored lifestyle coaching can help Black adults with hypertension improve their blood pressure control, new Kaiser Permanente research shows.

18 May 2022

‘That’s just part of aging’: Long covid symptoms are often overlooked in seniors

Nearly 18 months after getting covid-19 and spending weeks in the hospital, Terry Bell struggles with hanging up his shirts and pants after doing the laundry.

18 May 2022

Consumption of cranberries could improve memory, ward off dementia, and lower 'bad' cholesterol

Adding cranberries to your diet could help improve memory and brain function, and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol – according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UK).

18 May 2022

Cannabidiol for Parkinson's disease symptom management

Scientists have published a review study in the Journal for Nurse Practitioners that has focussed on various aspects of the use of cannabidiol in Parkinson's.

17 May 2022

Health and Social Care Secretary announces a new 10-Year Plan to tackle dementia

A new 10-Year Plan to tackle dementia will be published later this year, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed today (Tuesday 17 May 2022).

17 May 2022

Many treatments for intracerebral hemorrhage are not as effective as previously thought, guideline suggests

Some treatments or preventive therapies used to manage intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH), or a bleeding stroke, are not as effective as previously believed, according to the new American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guideline for caring for people with spontaneous ICH, published today in the Association's Stroke journal.

17 May 2022

Optimizing sleep continuity may help improve daytime symptoms in people with dementia

Not only does how well people with dementia sleep affect their symptoms the following day, but of particular significance is their sleep continuity, or the extent which they can stay asleep after initially falling asleep, according to a new study by Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), the University of Surrey and University of Sussex.

16 May 2022

People with young-onset Alzheimer’s experience faster symptom progression than older counterparts

People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at a younger age will experience faster symptom progression than their older counterparts, a new study has found, potentially causing their support systems to fall behind.

16 May 2022

Neuroimaging advances show promise in helping transcranial electrical stimulation to effectively treat visual hallucinations

A literature review in Harvard Review of Psychiatry indicates that, while transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has rarely been used in treating visual hallucinations (VH) among patients with psychiatric disorders, recent advances in neuroimaging technology show promise in helping tES to more effectively treat VH in psychiatric disorders where VH are a core symptom.

13 May 2022

Study shows massive variations in prescribing of “comfort kit” medications by hospice agencies

When a person nearing the end of their life enters hospice care, their hospice agency's doctors may prescribe a "comfort kit" of small amounts of medications that their caregivers can give them in case of urgent, distressing symptoms such as severe anxiety, agitation, delirium, nausea and more.

13 May 2022

Study examines the causal effect of high fertility on late-life cognition

A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and the Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center and Université Paris-Dauphine – PSL, found that having three or more versus two children has a negative effect on late-life cognition.

12 May 2022

New research reveals a potent weapon against Parkinson's disease

Neurodegenerative diseases damage and destroy neurons, ravaging both mental and physical health. Parkinson's disease, which affects over 10 million people worldwide, is no exception.

11 May 2022

Daily blueberry intake may lower the chances of developing late-life dementia

The old adage says that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but new research from the University of Cincinnati shows the potential benefit of a different fruit for your health.

11 May 2022

Complimentary tests to quantify cognitive changes in dogs could aid humans with Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have found that a suite of complimentary tests can quantify changes in dogs suspected of suffering from cognitive decline.

9 May 2022

Single-cell genomic sequencing identifies a subpopulation of human dopamine neurons that degenerates in Parkinson’s disease

Researchers developed a novel protocol to examine dopamine (DA) neurons extracted from Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients using single-cell genomic sequencing.

9 May 2022

Cedars-Sinai geriatricians create program to catch at-risk older adults before they fall

Falls and broken bones are common among older adults, but they're not a natural part of aging. That's why Cedars-Sinai geriatricians created a bone health and falls risk consultation program to catch at-risk people before they break a bone or help them avoid another fracture in the future.

6 May 2022

Newly-discovered mechanism may help prevent the build-up toxic proteins in dementia

It's often said that a little stress can be good for you. Now scientists have shown that the same may be true for cells, uncovering a newly-discovered mechanism that might help prevent the build-up of tangles of proteins commonly seen in dementia.

6 May 2022

Study finds promising new treatment for patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia

A Monash University led study has found a promising new treatment for patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of dementia in the under 60s – resulting in a stabilising of what would normally be escalating behavioural issues, and a slowing of brain shrinkage due to the disease.

6 May 2022

Influenza and pneumonia vaccinations linked with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Flu (influenza) and pneumonia vaccinations are associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2020.

5 May 2022