PSY 462 Ch. 5 Vocab Review

Subdural hematoma

A blood clot that creates pressure on brain tissue and can be caused by head injury. Surgical intervention can relieve symptoms and prevent further brain damage

Diabetes

A chronic disease in which people are unable to metabolize glucose, a simple sugar that is a major source of energy for the body's cells

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A condition caused by the development of clots in the cerebral arteries which is called a ministroke. tHe cause of this is the same as that of a stroke, but with this, the blockage of the artery is temporary. The tissues that were deprived of blood soon recover, but chances are that another one will follow. People who have had one of these are at higher risk of suffering from a stroke

Polypharmacy

A condition in which an individual takes multiple drugs sometimes without the knowledge of the physician, which can be particularly lethal

Congestive heart failure

A condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. Blood flows out of the heart at an increasingly slower rate, causing the blood returning to the heart through the veins to back up. Eventually, the tissues become congested with fluid. This can result from coronary heart disease, scar tissue from myocardial infarction, hypertension, heart valve disease, heart muscle disease, infection of the heart, and birth defects of the heart. People are unable to exert themselves without becoming exhausted and short of breath. Legs may swell due to edema, and fluid can also build up in the lungs and there can be kidney problems

Alzheimer's disease

A form of neurocognitive disorder in which the individual suffers progressive and irreversible neuronal death. Earliest signs are occasional loss of memory for recent events or familiar tasks. Changes in personality and behavior eventually become evident as the disease progresses. In the most advanced stage, the individual has lost the ability to perform even the simplest and most basic of everyday functions

Arthritis

A general term for conditions affecting the joints and surrounding tissues that can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and other connective tissues

Arteriosclerosis

A general term for the thickening and hardening of arteries. Everyone experiences some degree of this as a part of normal aging

Chronic bronchitis

A long-standing inflammation of the bronchi, the airways that lead into the lungs. Inflammation of the bronchi causes an increase in mucus and other changes, which in turn leads to coughing and expectoration of sputum

Dementia

A loss of cognitive abilities

Hypertension

A person with this suffers from chronic abnormally elevated blood pressure. Atherosclerosis contributes to this, high blood pressure strains the artery walls, and the condition increases the workload of the heart

Amyloid precursor protein (APP)

A protein found naturally in the brain that forms beta amyloid. AS this is made, it embeds itself in the neuron's membrane. A small piece of it is lodged inside the neuron, and a larger part of it remains outside. In healthy aging, the part of this remaining outside the neuron is trimmed by secretases so that it is flush with the neuron's outer membrane. in Alzheimer's disease, something goes wrong with this process so that it is snipped at the wrong place, causing beta-amyloid-42 to form. The cutoff fragments eventually clump together into beta-amyloid plaques, the abnormal deposits that the body cannot dispose of or recycle

ApoE

A protein that carries cholesterol throughout the body, but it also binds to beta-amyloid, possibly playing a role in plaque formation

Mediterranean diet

A regimen that includes fruits and vegetables as well as nuts, seeds, whole grains, and olive oil along with minimal intake of red meat and dairy foods and moderate intake of red wine during meals. People following this diet have reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome, especially when combined with high levels of physical activity

Pick's disease

A relatively rare cause of neurocognitive disorder which involves severe atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. This is distinct from FTD because, in addition to deterioration of these areas, the individual's brain accumulates unusual protein deposits called Pick bodies. Symptoms include disorientation and memory loss in the early stages, but the disorder eventually progresses to include pronounced personality changes and loss of social constraints. Eventually the individual becomes mute, immobile, and incontinent

Health

A sate of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Not simply the absence of disability, but disability can limit the individual's ability to adapt to the requirements of everyday life

Cardiovascular disease

A term that refers to a set of abnormal conditions that develop in the heart and arteries. The number one cause of death worldwide which can also cause chronic disability

Cerebrovascular accident

Also known as a stroke or brain attack, it is an acute condition in which an artery leading to the brain bursts or is clogged by a blood clot or other particle. The larger the area of the brain deprived of blood, the more severe the deterioration of the physical and mental functions controlled by that area

Anterograde amnesia

Amnesia involving the inability to learn or remember information encountered after the damage

Retrograde amnesia

Amnesia involving the inability to recall information learned prior to the damage

Amyloid plaques

Amyloid is a generic name for protein fragments that collect together in a specific way to form insoluble deposits. The formation of these most closely linked with Alzheimer's disease consists of beta-amyloid-42

Delirium

An acute cognitive disorder that is characterized by temporary confusion. It can be caused by diseases of the heart and lung, infection, or malnutrition. This has a sudden onset, unlike neurocognitive disorders. This condition reflects a serious disturbance elsewhere in the body, so it requires immediate medical attention

Wernicke's disease

An acute condition caused by chronic alcohol abuse involving delirium, eye movement disturbances, difficulties maintaining balance and movement, and deterioration of the nerves to the hands and feet. Providing the individual with vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse this condition

Tobacco smoking, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, high intake of alcohol to the point of being harmful, metabolic syndrome

Behavioral risk factors of heart disease

Early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease

Certain families seemed more prone to develop a form of the disease that struck at the relatively young age of 40 to 50 years. Information from the discovery of this allowed researchers to discover a large number of genes that can individually or in combination increase the likelihood of developing the form of Alzhiemer's disease that starts at a more conventional age of 60 or 65 years old

Adult-onset (type 2) diabetes

Diabetes that develops over time, gradually reducing the individual's ability to convert dietary glucose to a form that can be used by the body's cells. The pancreas produces some insulin, but the body's tissues fail to respond to the insulin signal (insulin resistance). Because the insulin cannot bind to the cell's insulin receptors, the glucose cannot be transported to the body's cells to be used. As a result, large amounts of glucose remain in the blood

Neurocognitive disorders

Diagnosis when a person experiences a loss of cognitive function severe enough to interfere with normal daily activities and social relationships

Cerebrovascular disease

Disorders of circulation to the brain

Reversible neurocognitive disorders

Due to the presence of a medical condition that affects but does not destroy brain tissue. If the medical condition is left untreated, permanent damage may be done to the CNS, and the opportunity for intervention will be lost

Elastase

Enzyme that breaks down the elastin found in lung tissue. Release of this enzyme from cigarette smoking diminishes elasticity of terminal bronchioles

Secretases

Enzymes that trim parts of APP remaining outside the neuron in healthy aging

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)

Expanded measure which includes the ability to use the telephone, go shopping, prepare meals, complete housekeeping tasks, do the laundry, use private or public transportation, take medications, and handle finances

Late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Form of Alzheimer's disease that starts at a more conventional age of 60 or 65 years

Cancer

Generic term that includes a group of diseases, and each type has its own symptoms, characteristics, treatment options, and overall effect on a person's life and health. Most common forms of this are breast in women, lung and bronchus and prostate in men, colon and rectal, and melanoma of the skin. This is genetically caused in the sense that it reflects damage to the genes that control cell replication. Most types of this develop when random mutations occur that cause the body's cells to malfunction. This is due to an interaction between a person's genetic inheritance and exposure to the harmful risk factors of physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens, or biological carcinogens

Korsakoff syndrome

If untreated, Wernicke's disease progresses to this chronic form of alcohol-induced neurocognitive disorder

Apraxia

Loss of ability to carry out coordinated movement

Agnosia

Loss of ability to recognize familiar objects

Aphasia

Loss of language ability

Disturbance in executive function

Loss of the ability to plan and organize

ADLs and IADLs

Measures that provide a functional assessment of health status by indicating the degree of independence the individual can maintain whether living at home or in an institution

Multi-infarct dementia (MID)

Most common form of vascular neurocognitive disorder which is caused by transient ischemic attacks. In this case, the number of minor strokes occur in which a clogged or burst artery interrupts blood flow to the brain. Each infarct is too small to be noticed, but over time, the progressive damage caused by the infarcts leads the individual to lose cognitive abilities. The development of this tends to be more rapid than Alzheimer's disease. The higher the number of infarcts, the greater the decline in cognitive functioning

Frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder (FTD)

Neurocognitive disorder that specifically involves the frontal lobes of the brain. The individual with this experiences personality changes such as apathy, lack of inhibition, obsessiveness, addictive behaviors, and loss of judgment. Eventually the individual becomes neglectful of personal habits and loses the ability to communicate

Pseudodementia

Older adults suffering from clinical depression may show cognitive changes that mimic those in Alzheimer's. These symptoms may include confusion, distraction, and irritable outbursts. When these cognitive symptoms appear, causing impairment similar to neurocognitive disorder, the individual is said to have this

Atherosclerosis

One of the most pervasive chronic diseases in which fatty deposits collect at an abnormally high rate, substantially reducing the width of the arteries and limiting the circulation of the blood. Can lead to a buildup of plaque in a particular artery causing the blood flow to that part of the body to be blocked. The organs or tissues supplied by that artery are then damaged due to the lack of blood supply

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene

One of the prime genes thought to be involved in the late-onset form of Alzheimer's disease. Found on chromosome 19

Amnesia

People suffering from this have profound memory loss as their main symptom

Chronic emphysema

People with this are more likely to develop frequent and severe respiratory infections, narrowing and plugging of the bronchi, difficulty breathing, and disability. This is a lung disease that causes permanent destruction of the alveoli. Elastin within the terminal bronchioles is destroyed, causing the airways to lose elasticity, compromising the exchange between O2 and CO2

Vascular neurocognitve disorder

People with this progressively lose cognitive functioning due to damage to the arteries supplying the brain. Related to risk factors that are similar to those for cardiovascular disease

Neurofibrillary tangles

Profusion of abnormally twisted fibers within the neurons themselves. Second major change to occur in the brain with Alzheimer's

Tau

Protein that makes up neurofibrillary tangles, which seem to play a role in maintaining the stability of the microtubules that form the internal support structure of the axons. In Alzhiemer's, this protein is changed chemically and loses its ability to separate and support the microtubules. This loss of support causes the tubules to tangle together

Normal-pressure hydrocephalus

Rare neurological disorder that can cause cognitive impairment, dementia, urinary incontinence, and difficulty in walking. The disorder involves an obstruction in the flow of CSF, which causes the fluid to accumulate in the brain. Early treatment can divert the fluid away from the brain before significant damage has occured

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (also mild neurocognitive disorder)

Refers to a form of neurocognitive disorder that signifies that the individual may be at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease

Metabolic syndrome

Term applied to people who have a cluster of symptoms associated with high risk factors for cardiovascular and related disease. Symptoms include high blood sugar, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and excess fat around the waist

Myocardial infarction

The acute condition in which the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or blocked

Acetylcholinesterase (cholinesterase)

The enzyme that normally destroys acetylcholine after its release into the synaptic cleft. The actions of this enzyme seem to reduce the amount of acetylcholine available to the hippocampal neurons, thus leading to memory loss. A category of Alzheimer's medications targets this enzyme

Beta-amyloid-42

The form of amyloid most closely linked with Alzheimer's disease

Memantine (Namenda)

The fourth type of medication for Alzheimer's disease. It acts by targeting the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The main form of respiratory disease affecting adults in middle and late life. A group of diseases that involve obstruction of the airflow into the respiratory system. People with this experience coughing, excess sputum, and difficulty breathing even when they carry out relatively easy tasks

Osteoarthritis

The most common form of arthritis in older adults, affects joints in the hips, knees, neck, lower back, and small joints of the hands. These are joints vulnerable to injury that people sustain due to repeated overuse in the performance of a job or sport

Activities of daily living (ADL)

The tasks of bathing, dressing, transferring, using the toilet, and eating. Health researchers and practitioners assess an older adult's ability to perform these

Musculoskeletal diseases

These include a range of conditions that develop in the bones and joints. Not fatal in and of themselves, but can be crippling and may lead to injury or bodily harm that can eventually lead to death

Parkinson's disease

These show a variety of motor disturbances, including tremors, speech impediments, slowing of movement, muscular rigidity, shuffling gait, and postural instability or the inability to maintain balance

Neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies

This is similar to Alzheimer's disease in that it causes progressive loss of memory, language, calculation, and reasoning as well as other higher mental functions. These can fluctuate in severity, at least early in the disease. This also includes episodes of confusion and hallucinations, which are not typically found in Alzheimer's

Osteoporosis

This occurs when the bone mineral density reaches the point that is more than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean of young, White, non-Hispanic women. This loss of bone mineral content occurs due to an imbalance between the rates of bone reabsorption versus bone growth. Women are at higher risk of this than men because they have lower bone mass in general

Caregiver burden

This term is used to describe the stress that caregivers experience in the daily management of their afflicted relative

Caregivers

Those individuals, usually family, who provide support to people with chronic diseases. They are likely to suffer adverse effects from the constant demands placed on them

Lewy bodies

Tiny spherical structures consisting of deposits of protein found in dying nerve cells in damage regions deep within the brains of people with Parkinson's disease

Anticholinesterase

Treatments that inhibit acetylcholinesterase. Examples include Cognex, Aricept, Razadyne, and Exelon

Coronary (or ischemic) heart disease

When the process of atherosclerosis leads to damaged arteries that feed the heart muscle. The heart muscle is damaged due to lack of blood supply from arteries affected by atherosclerosis