Essay about Dementia: Nervous System and Brain

Submitted By tinkerbell4887
Words: 2287
Pages: 10

Unit 4222-365 Understand the process and experience of dementia (DEM 301)
1)There can be many causes of dementia syndrome some of these include: Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the nerve cells dying in certain areas of the brain and the connections between affected nerve cells deteriorate. Vascular dementia, vascular dementia is caused by damage to the brain through deprivation of oxygenated blood. The conditions that can cause this include high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes and high cholesterol. Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD), CJD is a form of dementia caused by piron disease. Pirons are proteins in the body, when these cluster together in the brain they cause brain cells to die. When these cells die they leave holes in the brain, this damage in the brain causes neurological difficulties and dementia. Biswangers disease, Biswangers disease is a form of vascular dementia where damage occurs to the blood vessels in the deep white matter of the brain. Learning disabilities, some learning disabilities such as down’s syndrome put individuals at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Fronto-temporal dementia, Fronto-temporal dementia is caused by damage to the frontal lobe and/or the temporal lobe parts of the brain. Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Lewy bodies are protein deposits found in the nerve cells of the brain, these deposits alter the way the brain functions. Lewy bodies can be found in individuals with dementia or Parkinson’s disease.
2) No two people’s memories will be affected by dementia in the same way but some of the common forms of memory impairment include: Short-term memory loss, when an individual will have difficulties remembering something that has happened a short while ago but may be able to remember something that has happened many years ago. Amnesia, when the individual may not be able to remember facts or declarative memories from the long-term memory but they can remember skills such as reading. Long-term memory loss, when an individual cannot recall memories from their long-term memory but can remember something that has happened recently. Fading away of memories, this type of memory loss is when you replace memories in the brain with new ones, this often happens when you haven’t used the information stored for a while such as a telephone number.
3)The human brain is made up from billions of cells, these cells are called neurons. Neurons send electrical impulses along its body known as the axon. At the end of the axon is a small part which releases a chemical, the chemical travels over a small gap called the synapse which turns on another neuron. An individual who has dementia may be lacking in some of these vital chemicals which allow the neurons to work correctly. Some of these chemicals include: Dopamine, which controls your body movements and controls