bio 37- Final

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hint

True or False: Dementia is normal aging.

True or False: Dementia is normal aging.

FALSE

synpatic plasticity

the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken in response to activity

cognitive decline in aging brains

-Slower reaction time -Lower attention levels -Slower processing speeds -Decreased sensory/perceptual function -Changes in sleep pattern

factors of brain aging

genetics (family history), education level, sleep time

combined theory of aging

ROS production, DNA damage, mitochondrial damage

neurogenesis

the development of new neurons

occurence of neurogenesis

subventricular zone and subgranular zone

factors that increase neurogenesis

environmental enrichment, exercise

factors that decrease neurogenesis

aging, depression, physical disease

ways to delay cognitive decline

-Minimizing stress -Exercise -Active social life -Diet (Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, less sugar) -Higher education

Parabiosis

the anatomical joining of two individuals, especially artificially in physiological research

types of parabiosis

isochronic (young-young, old-old) and heterochronic (young-old)

regarding parabiosis, research showed that (young/old?) blood impaired young subject performance of mice.

old

regarding parabiosis, research showed that (young/old?) blood reversed age related impairments in cognitive function in old mice.

young

dementia

loss of cognitive abilities/memory

symptoms of dementia

-Difficulty with everyday tasks -Confusion in familiar environments -Difficulty with words/numbers -Memory loss -Changes in mood/behavior

types of dementias

-Multi-infarct dementia -Fronto-temporal dementia -Alzheimer's disease

mild dementia characteristics

-Retains judgment -Can sustain daily activities -Work/social life is impaired

moderate dementia characteristics

-Independent living becomes hazardous -Requires some supervision

severe dementia characteristics

-Requires constant supervision

Aphasia

Loss of ability to understand or express speech

Apraxia

Inability to link skilled motor movements to ideas or representations

Agnosia

Deficit in recognizing objects that occurs in the absence of deficits in sensory processing

Acalculia

The inability to perform simple mathematical calculations the patient previously knew

cortical dementia

Co-occurrence of many cognitive deficits (Aphasia, Apraxia, Agnosia, Acalculia, Visuospatial deficits, Memory problems)

subcortical dementia

Personality changes, Attention deficits, Slowness in cognitive processing, Difficulties with tasks requiring strategy

Mixed Dementia

Both cortical and subcortical involvement, Patterns of cognitive performance midway between cortical and subcortical types

non-vascular dementia categories (molecular classification)

-Amyloid-β (Aβ) -Microtubule-associated protein tau -TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) -Fused in sarcoma (FUS) -Α-synuclein -Prion protein

Alzheimer's disease causes

gene mutations (Presenilin 1 (C14), Presenilin 2 (C1), Trisomy 21 (C21), Amyloid precursor protein (C21))

__ million people nationally have Alzheimer's disease.

5.6

__ is the state with the most Alzheimer's cases (670,000)

CA

Fronto-temporal dementia is associated with the shrinkage of the _______ and __________ lobes.

frontal; temporal

symptoms of FTD

-Impulsive -Inappropriate social behaviors -Neglect of personal hygiene -Repetitive/compulsive behavior -Speech problems

types of FTD

behavioral variant FTD, semantic dementia, progressive nonfluent aphasia

Lewy body dementia symptoms

-Bradykinesia (rigidity) -Recurrent and well-formed hallucinations -Memory deficits less severe than AD, but visuospatial deficits more severe than AD

vascular/multi-infarct dementia (MID) is caused by...

blockages in the brain's blood supply

risks for MID

-High blood pressure -Diabetes -High cholesterol -Family history of heart problems -Obesity -Smoking

Parkinson's disease neuropathology

degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain

neuropsychiatric symptoms of PD

-Executive dysfunction -Memory deficits -Attention deficits -Mood disturbances -Visuospatial deficits -Impulsivity

treatment for PD

levodopa, deep brain stimulation, lesions

brain changes resulting from AD

-Shrinkage of brain (Loss of neurons) -Decrease in volume of gray matter and white matter -Enlargement of lateral ventricles

amyloid plaques

Insoluble extracellular deposits which accumulate in the cortex and hippocampus

neurofribrillary tangles

Bundles of insoluble helical fibers within neurons

Neurofribrillary tangles in AD are composed of abnormal ___ proteins

tau

functions of tau in microtubules

-organize cytoplasm -serve as tracks of transport

Separation of tau from microtubules results in disruption of connection and _______ ______

neuronal death

ABC score

Measure severity of amyloid plaque in AD (Stage A, B, and C)

BRAAK staging

Measure severity of tangles in AD (Stages 1-6)

Plaque and tangles in AD causes hyperactivity of ________ and __________, which can cause brain damage

microglia; astrocytes

Activation of the ______ system accompanies AD pathology

immune

PET scans of patients with AD showed reduced...

brain glucose metabolism

True or False: MRIs of AD patients show brain shrinkage.

TRUE

type of medication for AD

-Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (increases acetylcholine in synapses) -NMDA receptor antagonist (reduces glutamate excitotoxicity)

risks for AD

-Age -Genetics (APP, PS-1, PS-2, ApoE4) -Head trauma -Diabetes -Stroke -High blood pressure -High cholesterol -Heart disease

Ways to prevent AD

-physical exercise -social/leisure activity -higher education

________ _______ accounts for the majority of dementia cases among people age 65+

Alzheimer's disease

symptoms of AD

-Gradual memory loss -Decline in ability to perform routine tasks -Disorientation -Difficulty in learning -Loss of language skills -Impairment of judgment/planning -Personality changes

____ is the primary risk factor of AD

age

2/3 of people with Alzheimer's are ________.

women

True or False: White Americans are more likely to have AD.

FALSE (Black Americans 2 times as likely; Hispanic Americans 1.5 times more likely)

mild AD

-Loss of recent memory -Faulty judgment -Personality changes

moderate AD

-Aggression -Agitation -Wandering -Sleep disturbances -Delusions

severe AD

-Loss of all reasoning -Bedridden -Communication disability

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Measurable/greater-than-normal memory impairment detected with standard memory assessment tests (Normal general thinking and reasoning skills, Maintained ability to perform normal daily activities)

Antipsychotics are used to treat _/__ in AD.

Agitation/Delusions

SSRIs/SNRIs are used to treat ___________ in AD.

depression

CNS stimulants are used to treat ________ in AD.

apathy

Non-benzo hypnotics are used to treat ______ ___________ in AD

sleep disturbance

Hyperphosphorylated tau

insoluble and dysfunctional, leading to tangles and microtubule destabilization

Tauopathies

A class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the pathological aggregation of tau protein in the human brain.

primary tauopathy

Diseases which have Tau pathology as primary pathology (ex. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration)

secondary tauopathy

Disease which have Tau pathology as as well other major pathologies (ex. Alzheimer's disease)

6 major isoforms of tau in the brain

3R causing FTD, 4R causing CBD, 4R causing PSP, 3R and 4R causing CTE, 3R and 4R causing AD

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

a progressive, degenerative condition involving brain damage resulting from multiple episodes of head trauma

CTE is typically found in...

-Boxers/professional fighters -Amateur/professional wrestlers -Football and rugby players -Ice hockey players -War veterans with history of blast or concussive injury

signs of CTE (brain)

enlarged ventricles, shrinkage of brain matter

pathological features of CTE

-Neurofibrillary tangles -Changes in white matter -Glial degeneration

subtypes of frontotemporal degeneration

-Progressive nonfluent aphasia (affects left frontal lobe first) -Semantic dementia (affects left anterior temporal lobe first) -Behavioral variant Frontotemporal dementia (affects right frontal lobe first)

Progressive nonfluent aphasia symptoms

-Hesitant/effortful speech -Speech apraxia -Stutter -Anomia -Phonemic paraphasia -Agrammatism

semantic dementia symptoms

Loss of semantic knowledge

behavioral variant FTD symptoms

-Deficits in emotional processing and behavioral/moral reasoning -Inappropriate behaviors in public -Compulsive behaviors -Regression to child-like state of reasoning

__% of people with FTD have a family history of related dementia

~40

neuroinflammation due to BV-FTD

-Chronic cortical inflammation -Microglial activation and dystrophy -Astrogliosis -Neuron death/neurodegeneration

_________ _______ is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease

Parkinson's disease