The Cognitive Neuropsychology Of Alzheimer Type Dementia

This book draws together recent develompents in cognitive affects of Alzeimer's disease - how it affects mental functions such as memory, attention, and language. As well as providing a theoretical overview, it discusses how knowledge of neuropsychological impairment can be related to theneurobiology and genetics of the disease. Also covered are the practical issues of assesment, neurorehabilitation, and treatment. This book will be of interest both to researchers in Alzheimer's, and clinicians treating people with the disease.

This book describes the latest advances in our psychological understanding of Alzheimer's disease, bringing together the main experts in this field to describe recent developments. It will be valuable for people working in related disciplines, such as neurology, psychiatry and neuroscience researchers, as well as providing an introduction to the field for psychologists.

Bringing models and methods of cognitive neuropsychology to bear on the study of dementing disorders, these contributions present sound evidence that diseases of the Alzheimer type compromise brain function in a highly selective manner, affecting some aspects of cognition while sparing others. Included are original case studies that explore in detail the nature of the linguistic, semantic, and visuoperceptual disorders in patients with degenerative dementias. The book pursues a number of themes with important ramifications for the study of higher mental functions. By exploring the neurocognitive modules that are the targets of degenerative processes, it shows that Alzheimer's disease is not one disease but a complex of disease states, that clinical diversity is an essential feature of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer-type dementia, that this diversity reflects to a large extent the differential involvement of particular neural systems that support cognition, and that when suitable methods and models are applied, studies of Alzheimer-type dementia can expand our understanding of basic brain-behavior relations. Myrna F. Schwartz is Director of the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Contributors:M. Moscovitch and C. Umilta, M. F. Schwartz, J. A. Stark, A. R. Damasio, G. W. Van Hoesen, B. T. Hyman, J. B. Chawluk, M. Grossman, J. A. Calcano-Perez, A. Alavi, H. I. Hurtig, M. Reivich, A. Martin, J. Baron, M. Moscovitch, H. Chertkow, D. Bub, E. M. Saffran, E. J. Fitzpatrick-DeSalme, H. B. Coslett.

Alzheimer disease (AD) has become the most common form of dementia in industrialized countries and represents an increasing burden at the economic, social and medical level. In discussing both the biological aspects of AD as well as the cognitive functions involved, Alzheimer Disease - Neuropsychology and Pharmacology presents a comprehensive picture of the pathology and approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Basic research including animal models, molecular and genetic aspects is also taken into consideration. In part I, the biological correlates of AD are discussed. In part II the neuropsychological aspects such as cognitive impairment, loss of functional autonomy and emergence of neuropsychiatric disturbances of AD are outlined. In part III, strategies for effective treatment and prevention of AD are discussed. This book will be a useful source of information for clinicians as well as researchers in the area of neuropharmacology.

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This volume presents current research information on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in a format suitable for clinicians. The authors address the principal components and neuropsychological features of dementia syndromes, as well as recent developments in brain imaging.

With the aging of the baby boomers and medical advances that promote longevity, older adults are rapidly becoming the fastest growing segment of the population. As the population ages, so does the incidence of age related disorders. Many predict that 15% - 20% of the baby-boomer generation will develop some form of cognitive decline over the course of their lifetime, with estimates escalating to up to 50% in those achieving advanced age. Although much attention has been directed at Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, it is estimated that nearly one third of those cases of cognitive decline result from other neuropathological mechanisms. In fact, many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease likely have co-morbid disorders that can also influence cognition (i.e., vascular cognitive impairment), suggesting mixed dementias are grossly under diagnosed. The Clinical Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia is a unique work that provides clinicians with expert guidance and a hands-on approach to neuropsychological practice with older adults. The book will be divided into two sections, the first addressing special considerations for the evaluation of older adults, and the second half focusing on common referral questions likely to be encountered when working with this age group. The authors of the chapters are experts and are recognized by their peers as opinion leaders in their chosen chapter topics. The field of neuropsychology has played a critical role in developing methods for early identification of late life cognitive disorders as well as the differential diagnosis of dementia. Neuropsychological assessment provides valuable clinical information regarding the nature and severity of cognitive symptoms associated with dementia. Each chapter will reinforce the notion that neuropsychological measures provide the clinician with sensitive tools to differentiate normal age-related cognitive decline from disease-associated impairment, aid in differential diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction in older adults, as well as identify cognitive deficits most likely to translate into functional impairments in everyday life.

A negative effect of the ageing population is that more individuals are experiencing cognitive decline and some form of neurodegenerative disease. With the number of people experiencing dementia likely to double in the next 20 years, this change in society presents one of greatest challenges facing public health personnel in the 21st century. The aim of this volume is to describe research that is in progress, and the major findings that have been obtained in the scientific study of dementia. The chapters in the first section of the book focus upon early signs of dementia, and consider several approaches to finding early cognitive signs and biological markers of dementia. The second section considers whether dementia is inevitable for people who become very old, and features chapters on risk factors and proactive influences, cognitive reserve and intervention. Each chapter in the final section describes phenomena which are related to differences in function between memory systems, including anterograde memory in fronto-temporal dementia, and the role semantic memory and semantic cognition may play in developing an understanding of the development of the degenerative processes in dementia. With contributions from world-class researchers in this area, the volume offers a concise overview of key findings in recent research on dementia and memory. It will be of great interest to researchers and advanced students of cognitive psychology, and to those working in related fields, such as gerontology, rehabilitation sciences, and allied health.