Degenerative brain diseases can be from many causes, and can imitate many different diseases of the most powerful organ of the human body. Dementia, which is related to the decline of language, memory, visual, spatial anad judgement skills in the person that everyone may have known differently, can change drastically.
The first sign of dementia most likely will start with short term memory loss in an area that continues to escalate to include long term memory.
Long term retention starts in the Endohinal Cortex and interacts to the center where the Hypocampus sets the data up for storage (long term memory). If a connection is broken or the data is not coded correctly, the information never makes it to storage and most likely what is heard, seen, felt or perhaps what the person smells is lost.
Sorting and storage of memory happens in about three seconds at the most.
A normal brain will process the information in the endohinal cortex, between the two frontal lobes, and pass it on to the center 'gray matter' for storage in the Hippo-campus in the Hypothalamus area. It is much the same as with a computer that processes the information through the ram and stores it on the hard drive.
Clogged and/or arteries and/or neurons and neuro-transmitters prevents connections.
Sometimes, members of the family have a hard time understanding that the person with memory loss is not being inattentive or rude. In fact, the inner portions of the brain between the two temporal lobes that controls hearing, seeing, logic and assimilating new information is deteriorating.
Damage is preventing appropriate sorting and bringing together information and understanding. If the input is not gathered properly, it will disappear from memory.
Normal aging happens differently than the process of the damaged brain.
With degenerative diseases, the brain loses its ability to repair damage in the processing area of the brain; where new brain cells build new memories. For instance, the diseased Alzheimer's brain can no longer learn new skills and as the disease progresses to a stage 3 and 4, the hippo-campus is also involved and long term memory becomes impossible.
Older persons with normal brains can still retrain by learning new things, however, older neurons can be lost faster than new ones can be developed. The learning process may be slower than it is with the younger brain, but the capacity is the same. New skills can still be processed in the endocrinal and stored in the hippo-campus.
Early health care and detection is essential for longevity and quality of life.
Denial and/or apathy can prevent people from brain training, physical exercise, refraining from the use of tobacco and drug misuse, eating and drinking properly and finding natural relief for stress. Since memory loss and dementia symptoms can start as early as forty five years old, scientist suggest that early attention to health care is a priority live style.
Fear that memory lapses could be degenerative can keep persons from scheduling and getting tested for memory loss diseases. Early detection can make the difference between fast progression and a better quality of life.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Ninds Cerebellar Degeneration Information
US San Diego School of Medicine Department of Neuro Sciences Neural Degenerative Disorders
Comments