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Breakthroughs in Imaging Neurovascular Diseases

September 23, 2011 By 10 Comments

Google Tech Talk September 16, 2010 Breakthroughs in Imaging Neurovascular Diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis: Technical Aspects, Clinical Ramifications, and Understanding the Etiology of the Disease. Presented by Dr. E. Mark Haacke. ABSTRACT Magnetic Resonance Imaging has long been an important diagnostic tool for Multiple Sclerosis. Recent developments linking MS to venous malformations have highlighted the use of advanced techniques for imaging iron deposits and blood flow. We introduce here a number of new technical image acquisition and image processing concepts whose application may well extend into other diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke and traumatic brain injury. Finally, the development and data mining of worldwide data in specific diseases will also be discussed. ABOUT THE AUTHOR E. Mark Haacke is a world renown MRI researcher at Wayne State University. He won the Gold Medal in Kyoto in 2004 for his work on Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and Education. He is the past president of two MRI societies and has just formed “The International Society for Neurovascular Disease”. For the last 30 years, Dr. Haacke has focused on the physics and mathematics associated with the technical development of new imaging methods and their clinical applications.

Filed Under: Ischemic Vascular Dementia Tagged With: , , ,

The Signs of Dementia

September 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Signs of Dementia

We all forget where we’ve placed the car keys, have come home from the grocery store with everything but the items we went to purchase or have mixed up appointment dates. You may laughingly shrug it off as a “senior moment,” but you also may worry in the back of your mind that these oversights may mean something more – dementia.

 

So how do you know when simply being busy and distracted turns from simple forgetfulness into the possibility of dementia and needing dementia care?

 

Medical researchers and doctors agree that there are marked differences between being a bit absentminded and having full-blown dementia. Normal forgetfulness is generally the byproduct of stress, being overly tired, illness or just trying to remember too many details at once.

 

In contrast to not recalling a phone number or the steps to a recipe, dementia is characterized by having memory loss that interferes with your ability to function – whether it’s socially or at work. A person with dementia will also exhibit personality changes, as well as recognizable changes in abstract thinking, judgment, language, performance of complex physical tasks, or recognition of objects or people.

 

Understanding Vascular Dementia

Next to Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia is one of the most common forms of dementia. Those with vascular dementia usually have had a stroke or series of strokes that create a chronic, reduced blood flow to the brain. Often, the strokes are so small that the symptoms go unnoticed. However, the damage builds over time, which leads to memory loss, confusion and other signs of dementia.

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The most common type of vascular dementia is called multi-infarct dementia (MID). This is where you have a series of the previously mentioned unnoticed small strokes or “mini-strokes.” These are also called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and temporarily block blood supply to the brain, as well as can temporarily affect consciousness or sight. As more areas of the brain become damaged by TIAs over time, the person may experience symptoms of vascular dementia.

 

Interpreting the Signs of Vascular Dementia

Of course, each person is different and will exhibit a range of dementia symptoms. Generally, a person who has prolonged episodes of mini-strokes will gradually lose their memory.

 

Causes of Vascular Dementia

So what causes vascular dementia and how can you avoid it? A stroke, small vessel disease, or a combination can cause vascular dementia. One of the most common causes of a stroke is arterial blockage leading to the brain. Like heart disease and the associated heart attacks, arterial blockages to the brain can be caused by plaque build up on in the arteries, or by loose blood clots that may clog a main artery.

 

One of the best ways to avoid strokes and the possibility of vascular dementia is to control high blood pressure and diabetes, monitor cholesterol levels and avoid cigarettes.

 

What You Can Do to Improve Your Memory

If you or a loved one has already been diagnosed with vascular dementia, it’s not too late to take action. Treating the risk factors that led to vascular dementia can slow the progression of the disease. Additionally, there are other things you can do to strengthen your memory, including reading, solving crossword puzzles, playing chess or taking classes in a subject you love.

 

Researching Dementia Care Options

There are a number of options for dementia care – including senior housing and assisted living communities, an Alzheimer’s care or memory care facility or senior in home care. For help researching your choice for dementia care, contact SeniorLiving.Net at 866-342-4297 today.

 

Filed Under: Ischemic Vascular Dementia Tagged With: ,

ASA: Donepezil Comes Up Short in Vascular Dementia Trials

September 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

www.medpagetoday.com Philip Gorelick, MD, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago NEW ORLEANS — The Alzheimer’s disease drug donepezil (Aricept) does not improve cognition in patients with a genetic form of subcortical ischemic dementia known as CADASIL.
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