ch. 14 psychology quiz

ApoE4

Alleles of the ApoE gene prove the importance of genetic variations. Another allele of the same gene, ApoE4, increases the risk of Alzheimer's, especially if a person inherits that gene from both parents. ApoE4 also correlates with heart disease, stroke, and - if a person is HIV-positive - AIDS

Lewy-body disease (dementia)

Another 3 percent of people with NCD in the US suffer from lewy body disease: excessive deposits of a particular kind of protein in their brains. Lewy bodies are also present in Parkinson's disease, by in Lewy body disease they are more numerous and dispersed throughout the brain, interfering with communication between neurons. A form of major neurocognitive disorder characterized by an increase in lewy body cells in the brain. Symptoms include visual hallucinations, momentary loss of attention, falling, and fainting The main symptom of Lewy body dementia is loss of inhibition: a person might gamble or become hypersexual. In many ways, symptoms are similar to parkinson's, but brain impariments are more comprehensive and begin sooner

Cataracts

However, much more could be done. Quality dental and medical care, canes and service dogs, large-screen computers and much more are free in some nations, but available only to the very rich in others. Several eye diseases (cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration) increase with age. If discovered early, blindness can be prevented, yet prevention is not a priority of the US health exosystem. Hearing aids, with the expertise required for individual adjustment, cost thousands of dollars Cateracts. As early as age 50, about 10 percent of adults have cataracts, a thickening of the lens, causing vision to become cloudy, opaque, and distorted. By age 70, 30 percent do. Cataracts can be removed in outpatient surgery and replaced with an artificial lens

Alzheimer's disease

In the past century, millions of people in every large nation have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (called major NCD due to Alzheimer's disease in DSM-5). Severe and worsening memory loss is the main symptom of AD, which proceeds stage by stage. Definitive diagnosis occurs on autopsy, with extensive plaques and tangles in the cerebral cortex There are five stages (look at these) The most common cause of major NCD, characterized by gradual deterioration of memory and personality and marked by the formation of plaques of beta-amyloid protein and tangles of tau in the brain

what helps older people's mental health?

Life review We have been taught that this nostalgia represents living in the past and a preoccupation with self and that it is generally boring, meaningless, and time-consuming. Yet as a natural healthing process it represents one of the underlying human capacities on which all psychotherapy depends. The life review should be recognized as a necessary and healthy process in daily life as well as a useful tool in the mental health care of older people

Parkinson's disease

Many other brain diseases begin with impaired motor control (shaking when picking up a cup of coffee, falling when trying to walk), not with impaired thinking. The most common of these is Parkinson's disease. It's a chronic, progressive disease that is characterized by muscle tremor and rigidity and sometimes major neurocognitive disorder; cause by reduced dopamine production in the brain Parkinson's starts with rigidity or tremor of the muscles as dopamine-producing neurons degenerate,, affecting movement long before cognition. Middle-aged adults usually have sufficient cognitive reserve to avoid major intellectual loss. When this disorder appears in late adulthood, cognitive problems are soon apparent

Differences in outcome between early and late diagnosed Alzheimer disease

Most cases of Alzheimer's are late-onset, beginning after age 70. Many genes have some impact, but health habits also matter. People, on average, die 10 years after the first symptoms. If alzheimer's develops in middle age, the cause is genetic: affected people have either trisomy-21 (down syndrome) or one of three genes: amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 1, or presenilin 2. Early-onset AD progresses quickly, reaching the last phase and death within three to five years.

Prospective memory

One memory loss might have serious consequences. That is prospective memory - remembering to do something in the future (take a pill, meet someone for lunch, buy milk). Prospective memory loss becomes dangerous if, for instance, a cook forgets to turn off the stove, or a driver is in the far lane when the exit appears

Life review

One particular method to deepen older adults' cognition is the life review, in which elders provide an account of their person lifelong journey by writing or telling their story. They want others to know their history, not only their personal experiences but also those of their family, cohort, or ethnic group. An examination of one's own role in the history of human life, engages in by many elders. This can be written or oral

Pick disease

Several types of neurocognitive disorders affect the frontal lobes and thus are called frontotemporal NCDs, or frontotemporal lobar degeneration. This is a diverse collection of disorders: Pick's disease is the most common form. These disorders cause perhaps 15 percent of all cases of NCDs in the US Deterioration of the amygdala and frontal lobes that may be the cause of 15 percent of all major neurocognitive disorders. (also called frontotemporal labar degeneration) In frontotemporal NCDs, parts of the brain that regulate emotions and social behavior (especially the amygdala and prefrontal cortex) deteriorate. Emotional and personality changes are the main symptoms. Frontotemporal NCDs usually occur before age 70, unlike Alzheimer's or vascular disease. The diagnosis is difficult partly because the symptoms appear at younger ages and partly because memory loss is nut the primary symptom

Who provides care for elderly?

The old-old (about 20 percent) suffer losses in body or mind. They need some assistance. Usually, they get help from other people over age 64 (often a spouse) Only the oldest-old (6 percent) are unable to care for themselves. In the United States, about 3 percent of the population over age 64 live in skilled nursing homes or hospitals. Another 3 percent live with family members who provide intensive care Oldest-old: older adults who are dependent on others for almost everything, requiring supportive services such as nursing homes and hospital stays Estimates of how many people over age 65 need daily care vary from about 5 to 15 percent. Adults may disagree as to how dependent the oldest generations are.

Vascular disease (dementia)

The second most common cause of neurocognitive disorder is vascular disease, cause by a stroke (a temporary obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain) or a series of strokes, called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, or ministrokes). The interruption in blood flow reduces oxygen, destroying part of the brain. Symptoms (blurred vision, weak or paralyzed limbs, slurred speech, and mental confusion) suddenly appear. Formerly called vasular or multi-infarct demetia, vascular disease is characterized by sporadic, and progressive, loss of intellectual fuctioning caused by repeated infarts, or temorary obstruction of blood vessels, which prevent sufficient blood from reaching the brain.

cell duplication problems and the link to aging

The third cluster of theories examines cellular aging, focusing on molecules and cells. Remvmer, cells duplicate many times over the life span. Minor errors - repetitions and deletions of triplets - in copying accumulate. Early in life, the immune system repairs such errors, but eventually the immune system itself becomes less adept. Cellular aging - The cumulative effect of stress and toxins, first causing cellular damage and eventually the death of cells

Prescription drug use problems in the elderly

Unfortunately, recommended doses of prescription drugs are determined primarily by clinical trials with younger adults, whose digestive systems eliminate drugs fairly well. With age, homeostasis slows down and excess lingers. To make it worse, most safety trials include only healthy people, eliminating those with chronic diseases. This means that drugs are not tested on the older people who are most likely to use them. Moreover, safety trials focus on systemic symptoms, such as shortness of breath, pain or heart palpitations. Neurological symptoms are not measured. The average older person in the US sees a health professional seven times a year. Typically, each of the seven follows clinical practice guidelines, which are recommendations for one specific condition. Those recommendations