Though dementia is not considered a common characteristic of MSA, cognitive impairment occurs in some patients in the form of loss of verbal memory and verbal fluency1.
The frequency of cognitive impairment in MSA varies among studies. In autopsy-confirmed cases, it ranges from 20% to 37%. b) We previously reported that 33 out of 102 MSA patients (32%) had cognitive impairment; however, only one patient showed cognitive impairment as an initial symptom.
In MSA, a part of the brain called the cerebellum is damaged. This can make the person clumsy and unsteady when walking, and can also cause slurred speech. These problems are collectively known as cerebellar ataxia.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between the expected decline in memory and thinking that happens with age and the more serious decline of dementia. MCI may include problems with memory, language or judgment. People with MCI may be aware that their memory or mental function has "slipped."
Changes in personality and social behavior that include apathy and disinhibition can occur. Patients lose their initiative, set aside their personal responsibilities, and experience impairment of their professional activities. They lose empathy for others and are not interested in what may occur in their environment.
Cognitive change as a normal process of aging has been well documented in the scientific literature. Some cognitive abilities, such as vocabulary, are resilient to brain aging and may even improve with age. Other abilities, such as conceptual reasoning, memory, and processing speed, decline gradually over time.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
Cognitive Disorders
Attention deficit disorder. Dementia with Lewy bodies disease. Early onset dementia. Epilepsy-related cognitive dysfunction.
Appetite reduces and weight loss is apparent. Communication becomes too effortful and breathing more bubbly or shallow. Dying is very rarely a dramatic event. In the majority of cases it is an increasing winding down of all bodily functions and everything stopping, death occurring in a peaceful and dignified manner.
A person with MSA experiences increasing difficulties with word finding and speech initiation, due to progressive neurological deterioration (Lieberman et al, 1992; Walsh & Smith, 2011). The rate of speech may also be slower compared to someone with Parkinson's disease (Huh et al, 2015).
Currently, there is no cure for cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer's disease or other related dementias. However, some causes of cognitive impairment are related to health issues that may be treatable, like medication side effects, vitamin B12 deficiency, and depression.
Age is the primary cause of cognitive impairment. Other risk factors include family history, physical inactivity, and disease/conditions such as Parkinson's disease, heart disease, stroke, brain injury, brain cancers, drugs, toxins, and diabetes.
Major neurocognitive disorder is characterized by a significant decline in at least one of the domains of cognition which include executive function, complex attention, language, learning, memory, perceptual-motor, or social cognition.
For people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, within just one year 10 to 15% of them will go on to develop dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Mild cognitive impairment
Symptoms of MCI can remain stable for several years or may progress to Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia. People who are aged 65 or older with mild cognitive impairment can develop dementia in as little as one year from diagnosis (7.5%, rising to 20% in the third year).
We develop many thinking abilities that appear to peak around age 30 and, on average, very subtly decline with age. These age-related declines most commonly include overall slowness in thinking and difficulties sustaining attention, multitasking, holding information in mind and word-finding.
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember (like sticky notes or reminders). 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.
Rapidly progressive dementias (RPDs) are dementias that progress quickly, typically over the course of weeks to months, but sometimes up to two to three years. RPDs are rare and often difficult to diagnose. Early and accurate diagnosis is very important because many causes of RPDs can be treated.
In general, however, the symptoms of cognitive decline that are associated with aging include: Slower inductive reasoning / slower problem solving. Diminished spatial orientation. Declines in perceptual speed.
These challenges include student mental mindset, metacognition and self-regulation, student fear and mistrust, prior knowledge, misconceptions, ineffective learning strategies, transfer of learning, constraints of selective attention, and the constraints of mental effort and working memory.
The most important changes are declines in cognitive tasks that require one to quickly process or transform information to make a decision, including measures of speed of processing, working memory, and executive cognitive function.