ABSTRACT
Dementia is a fairly broad term used to refer to a host of neurodegenerative diseases and conditions that generally involve impairments in memory, language, and problem solving. Memory impairtment is best viewed along a continuum with normal age-related impairment at one end of the continuum and late-stage dementia at the other end. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by a slow but progressive onset. Dementia with Lewy Bodies is a diagnostic term used to refer to a type of dementia in which Lewy Bodies are present in cortical neurons. Frontotemporal dementias, including Pick's disease, are often difficult to differentiate from Alzheimer's disease. Vascular dementia is caused by one or more brain infarctions that cause cellular damage due to a lack of oxygen, which is usually caused by some sort of vascular blockage or clot.
