There are many conditions which can affect memory.

• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Vascular Dementia
• Mixed Dementia
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• More Information

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which a person has problems with memory, language, or another mental function causing concern in the individual, but is not serious enough to interfere with daily life. The most common MCI involves memory problems and is called “amnestic MCI.” Some research suggests that individuals with amnestic MCI have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease over the next few years, but not everyone diagnosed with amnestic MCI goes on to develop Alzheimer’s.

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Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia is considered the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. It develops when blood flow in the brain is impaired. Sometimes people suffer from a stroke, which blocks the blood from getting to a certain part of the brain. For others, a series of very small strokes, or infarcts, block small blood vessels. These smaller strokes do not necessarily cause dementia, but over time their combined effect can cause impairment. This type is sometimes called “multi-infarct dementia.” The person may have a past history of heart attacks, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, or other risk factors for heart disease.

The thinking problems associated with vascular dementia tend to occur more gradually, resulting in more sudden changes rather than the slow decline seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms can include confusion, which may get worse at night, trouble following instructions or concentrating, problems managing money or cooking, and physical changes like weakness or problems speaking.
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Mixed Dementia

Mixed dementia is a condition in which Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia occur at the same time. Many experts think that mixed dementia is much more common than previously thought. Patients with mixed dementia may have problems with memory, which is common in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as some confusion and problems with concentration, which is more typical in vascular dementia.


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Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease can be a fairly common disorder with increased age, tending to occur more often in men. It affects movement, resulting in tremors and shakiness, stiffness, difficulty with walking, lack of facial expression and impaired speech. Many individuals with Parkinson’s develop dementia in later stages of the disease, which does not affect memory like in Alzheimer’s disease, but rather affects concentration, visual spatial skills, and speed of thinking.
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Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) can often be misdiagnosed as either Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, since patients with DLB tend to share a variety of symptoms with the two dementias. Symptoms may include memory problems, poor judgment, and confusion, as well as excessive daytime drowsiness, seeing people or objects that aren’t really there (visual hallucinations), or rapid changes in alertness. Patients with DLB may also have movement problems like a shuffling walk, shakiness, lack of facial expression, and problems with balance and falls. Some patients may also have vivid dreams where they tend to act out what is happening.
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Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) tends to affect individuals earlier in life, with an onset typically between ages 45-65. It usually affects personality and behavior first. People with FTD may act inappropriately, fail to take care of themselves as they once did, and make poor decisions about personal matters or finances. They may seem emotionally disconnected from others and not be aware of any of these dramatic changes. People with FTD also have thinking problems like problems with attention or language, and some lose the ability to speak correctly or understand word meaning. This can refer to Primary Progressive Aphasia and Semantic Dementia, which are two disorders associated with FTD.


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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (pronounced CROYZ-felt YAH-cob) is a rapidly fatal disorder and very rare disease usually affecting individuals older than 60. However, the “variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)” which is believed to be caused by eating meat from cattle affected by “mad cow disease,” tends to occur in much younger individuals. Initial symptoms may involve memory problems and changing in thinking, reasoning, personality or behavior. Depression and agitation also tend to be early symptoms. Symptoms progress rapidly with death occurring in approximately one year.
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More Information

Visit the Alzheimer’s Association for information on Alzheimer’s and other causes of memory impairment.
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