One devastating consequence of dementias is how they degrade a person’s sense of self. This aspect of dementia has a crater-sized impact on those with dementia, but the progressive cognitive decline also enacts compounded suffering on their loved ones.
There are two answers to the question of why we don’t yet fully understand Alzheimer’s. The simple answer is that the brain is remarkably complex, it’s the primary organ for cognition thus making investigation into the organ risky, and also research into the brain and mind are, relatively speaking, nascent fields. The more nuanced answer provides context into those stipulations. Alzheimer’s — a neurodegenerative form of dementia — is a condition with a constellation of symptoms that result from damage to the brain so there is nothing to be said about Alzheimer’s without first discussing what some call “the most complicated object in the universe,” the brain.
In this blog, we will look at what current research suggests about air pollution and whether or not it increases the chance one might develop Alzheimer’s, and we will also look at how contributing factors to air pollution might worsen the quality of the air, which could have implications for those already at risk of AD.
Vagus nerve stimulation is a treatment that has been occasionally used to treat epilepsy, treatment-resistant depression, and even Alzheimer’s dementia. Are you familiar with this unusual treatment? Are you familiar with the vagus nerve? Though it’s not commonly known, it’s a critical part of your nervous system and has many potential clinical implications. Let’s chat about the vagus nerve and vagus nerve stimulation, but first, some background and context.
There are perfectly reasonable explanations for why people are missing or canceling appointments, but these canceled appointments aren’t just missed appointments: they’re missed opportunities to detect conditions where there is an understanding that early detection can help patients maintain a higher quality of life for a longer period of time.
EEGs – or electroencephalograms – are used to diagnose many neurological conditions. Depending on the condition, your health care provider may order one of four different types of EEGs.
A Spanish study published by Nature Neuroscience in 2016 shed light on another area where big changes occur during pregnancy—a woman’s brain.