Adult Cognitive Disorders
what is RHD?
right hemisphere disorder
cognitive communication impairments resulting from damage to the right hemisphere
symptoms of RHD- cognition
attentional deficits
short attention span/ difficulty learning new things
orientation
poor decision making, lack of insight
immediate and short term memory deficits
decreased problem solving skills
organizational deficits
reasoning difficulties
assessments for RHD
SCCAN
MoCA
CLQT
RIPA-2
hierarchy of cognition
attention
orientation
reasoning/awareness
organization/memory
executive function
name the 5 types of attention
focused
sustained
selective
alternating
divided
what is cognition?
one small word that conveys a host of multifaceted abilities. Having adequate ___ lets us get through the day without having to “think” about automatic activities such as brushing our teeth or getting dressed
definition of cognitive communication disorder
difficulty with any aspect of communication that is affected by disruption of cognition
attention
Ability to focus, sustain, alternate, and divide mental resources. Stay focused and filter out irrelevant information. To be alert/aroused
orientation
Understanding of “where” and “who” you are or direct attention toward a stimulus. Ex. Understanding surroundings, date, month, year
reasoning/awareness
Rational thinking. Basic awareness of how they are impaired ant that they are in therapy to get better
organization
Being able to engage in basic thought organization. Demonstrate the ability to engage in basic conversation while maintaining topic. Able to sequence simple steps (brushing teeth)
executive functioning
The cognitive processes that underlie goal directed behaviors such as: planning, organizing, initiation and stopping behaviors, sequencing steps
memory
ability to encode, store, and retrieve information for later use. Retain, recall and manipulate information
problem solving
Generate solutions for given situations
what part of the brain controls memory?
hippocampus
what part of the brain is responsible for short term memory?
prefrontal cortex of the frontal lobe
name the types of memory
immediate
working/short term
long term
non-declarative long term memory
knowing HOW
aka knowing how to drive a car
declarative long term memory
knowing WHAT
aka memory of the first time you drove a car
name 2 types of declarative long term memory
episodic
semantic
episodic memory
linked with particular times and places, and could be considered personal memories, such as experiences of certain events (Special trip)
semantic memory
the memory concerned with the storage of factual information which is not linked to a particular experience. (General information, facts, rules)
focused attention
to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory or tactile stimulation. BASIC. Disturbed in early stages of coma
selective attention
The ability to hold attention on a single stimuli. Maintenance of attention over time during continuous and repetitive activity (assembly line workers)
sustained attention
refers to the ability to focus on important information while ignoring irrelevant information/distractions
alternating attention
refers to capacity of mental flexibility that allows individuals to move between tasks with different cognitive requirements
divided attention
Ability to focus to two tasks simultaneously
aspects of executive functioning (ROSTA)
reasoning
organization
self monitoring and control
tasks initiation
aspects of memory and problem solving
what does AOROME stand for?
attention/arousal
orientation
reasoning/awareness
organization
memory
executive functioning
etiologies of RHD
stroke
TBI
tumor
surgery
infection
illness
RHD impairments
increased falls
difficulty judging object distance
left hemiplegia
RHD can cause:
impulsivity
left sided visual neglect
anosognosia
lack of awareness of disease
symptoms of RHD- speech
diminished speech prosody
use of more words, but produce less information
oblivious to social conventions
rambling of speech
monotonous speech, lack of emotion
etc
RIPA- 2
ages 15-90
60 minutes to administer the whole thing
6 subtests that can be normed and completed within 10 minutes each
normed for: RHD, TBI, and tumors
what does the RIPA-2 test?
immediate memory
recent memory
problem solving and abstract reasoning
auditory comprehension
recall of general information
orientation- temporal and spatial
organizational skills
damage in the right frontal lobe would be impaired what?
impaired social behavior
damage in the right fronto-temporal lobe would be impaired what?
impaired impulse control
damage to the right temporal lobe would be impaired what?
impaired sense of familiar and unfamiliar
damage to the right parietal lobe would be impaired what?
impaired body image
damage to the right parieto-temporal lobe would be impaired what?
impaired topographic orientation
MoCA
this is a SCREENING
intended for clients with memory impairments complaints
must be certified to give it
pros of using the MoCA
multiple versions
only takes 10 minutes
available in 46 languages
no materials needed
what does the MoCA assess?
attention and concentration
executive functions
memory
language
visual constructional skills
conceptual thinking
calculations
orientation
who can the MoCA be used on?
patients with stroke
individuals with dementia
others
SCCAN
provides overview across 8 cognitive scales
takes 34 minutes to administer
ages 18-95
what does the SCCAN test?
speech comprehension
oral expression
reading
writing
orientation
attention
memory
problem solving
who is the SCCAN normed for?
left and right hemisphere stroke
Alzheimer’s disease
TBI
CLQT
ages 18-95
takes 15-30 minutes to administer
assesses 5 cognitive domains
what does the CLQT test?
attention
memory
language
executive functioning
visuospatial skills
who is the CLQT normed for?
left/right brain
TBI
dementia
what is primary progressive aphasia?
a clinical dementia syndrome characterized by the gradual dissolution of language without impairment of other cognitive domains for at least the first two years of illness
demographics of PPA
2:1 male to female ratio
average age of onset= 60 years old
it changes over time
starts with WORD FINDING and progresses to other language function
what are the 3 types of PPA?
progressive nonfluent
fluent semantic
mixed/ logopenic progressive aphasia
characteristics of progressive non-fluent aphasia
labored or halting speech production and agrammatical language
word understanding is preserved
sentence comprehension may suffer if the sentences are long
what is progressive non-fluent aphasia caused by?
left frontal lobe degeneration
key characteristic in progressive non-fluent aphasia
more difficulty naming verbs than nouns
sentences become shorter
apraxia is common
sometimes gives impression of stammering or stuttering
example sentence of progressive non-fluent aphasia
woke up. eat… food. wash up. walk dog. that’s it.
characteristics of semantic dementia
fluent type language
what causes semantic dementia?
left temporal lobe degeneration, including the hippocampus
key characteristics of semantic dementia
talk like someone with anomic aphasia
difficulty with noun comprehension
do worse at naming objects vs. verbs
degraded semantic memory- both impaired noun naming and single word comprehension
example of semantic dementia
me: “bring me an orange”
person with SA: “what is an orange?”
characteristics of logopenic progressive aphasia
syntactical comprehension and naming are impaired
sentence repetition is impaired with phonological errors
what causes logopenic progressive aphasia?
cortical atrophy in the posterior temporal and inferior parietal lobe
key characteristic of logopenic progressive aphasia
mixture of progressive non-fluent and semantic dementia
example of logopenic progressive aphasia
insert fillers such as “the thing that you use for it”, “you know what I mean”, etc.
spelling errors are common
how to diagnosis PPA
history
medical history
family interview
CLQT or PASS
aphasia testing (WAB)
oral motor/swallowing
goal setting with person with aphasia at center
what is important to not forget in an informal evaluation for PPA?
determine what skills remain intact!
best model of treatment with PPA
asses
treat
assess
treat
treatment goal of PPA
communication, not perfection
prevalence of TBI
60:40, more males than females
penetrating brain injury (open)
Perforated skull, penetration of the meninges, and brain tissue damage
Ex: bullets, nail guns, lawn darts, knives, arrows, etc
non-penetrating brain injury (closed)
Brain tissue damage with intact meninges, may or may not include a fractured skull
Ex: industrial, domestic, or sports-related accidents, car accidents, falls, etc
name the mechanisms of brain injury
mechanical force
acceleration-deceleration
vascular injury
diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
mechanical force
struck by forceful contact
acceleration-deceleration
Head suddenly stops but the brain does not stop
Ex: car accidents, sports injuries, shaken baby, domestic violence cases
vascular injury
Small and widespread ruptures of the blood vessels, may result in multiple hemorrhages
diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
Stretching and tearing of nerve fibers in widespread areas of the brain
primary injuries
at the time of trauma
lacerations/ fractures
DAI
vascular injury
focal cortical lesions
cranial nerve damage
secondary injuries
as a result of primary injuries
Hemorrhage: epidural, subdural, intracerebral
Increased intracranial pressure, edema, swelling
Cardiac or respiratory arrest, ischemic brain injury
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Seizures
Infection
signs/symptoms of TBI
Altered consciousness
Headache
Dizziness
Changes in behaviors, personality, irritability
Vomiting
If someone bumps their head and starts to vomit within 6-8 hours, something is wrong!! This is one of the clear cut signs that the brain has gone through some kind of insult
Depression
Sleep disturbances
Memory deficits
Diminished attention span
what is the lowest score you can get on the glasgow coma scale?
3
score of 3-8 on the GCS would mean?
severe
score of 9-12 on the GCS would mean?
moderate
score of 13-15 on the GCS would mean?
mild
prognostic variables in TBI
duration of coma
time post-injury
age at injury
premorbid intelligence and education
premorbid or current drug and alcohol abuse
severity of injury
type of injury
secondary injuries
level of consciousness
assessment after TBI
case history
interview
observation and systematic analysis
assessment of:
consciousness
cognition
communication
dysphagia
GCS eye opening
4- spontaneous
3- to voice
2- to pain
1- none
GCS verbal response
5- normal conversation
4- disoriented conversation
3- words, but not coherent
2- no words, only sounds
1- none
GCS motor response
6- normal
5- localized pain
4- withdraws to pain
3- decorticate posture
2- decerebrate posture
1- none
rancho level I
no response- total assistance
rancho level II
generalized response- total assistance
rancho level III
localized response- total assistance
rancho level IV
confused and agitated- maximal assistance
rancho level V
confused and inappropriate- maximal assistance
rancho level VI
confused and appropriate- moderate assistance
rancho level VII
automatic and appropriate- minimal cues for ADL’s
rancho level VIII
purposeful and appropriate- stand by assistance
rancho level IX
purposeful and appropriate- stand by assistance by request
rancho level X
purposeful and appropriate- modified independence
what allows a patient to move from ranchos level V to ranchos level VI?
PTA (orientation) clearance