Memory Loss

Alziehmers

a biological process that begins with the appearance of a buildup of proteins in the brain, causing brain cells to die and the brain to shrink over time

brain regions affected by Alziehmers

affects the hippocampus (formation of new memories + ability to retain recent info) cerebral cortex (planning, language, reasoning, decision making + communication) amygdala (emotion regulation for mood swings, anxiety + depression)

Symptoms of Alziehmers

repeat statements and questions, social withdraw + lack of trust, change in sleeping behaviours, anger/agressions + delusion

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

brain disease caused by repeated head injuries causes death of nerve cells within the brain due to build up of tau, tau becomes abnormally folded and causes clumps leading to cell death and brain atrophy

CTE effects

Behaviour: impulsive, aggressive

Emotion: apathy/depression, instability, suicidal thoughts

Thiamine Deficiency

common in people that consume excessive amounts of alcohol (have poor nutrition due to the inflammation of stomach lining which impedes bodys ability to absorb vitamins.

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

a brain disorder caused by a lack of thiamine, commonly caused by chronic alcohol misuse

Thiamine

helps brain cells produce energy from sugar

symptoms of WKS

memory loss, difficulty forming new memories, confusion

Behavioural Changes: motor impairment, visual problems, hallucinations, impaired planning and decision making

Emotional Changes: apathy, reduced motivation, emotional blunting, altered emotional responses

Brain Structures WKS

hippocampus and cerebellum most notably (movement, language, sleep, memory, motivation)