Normal brain aging or dementia? A neuroscientist reveals the five warning signs to be taken seriously.
55 million people suffer from dementia worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In France, Public Health France estimates that they are 1.2 million. “Dementia is a syndrome, usually chronic or progressive, in which there is an impairment of cognitive function (ability to perform thought operations), greater than that which could be expected from normal aging”, explains the WHO. Memory, reasoning, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning ability, language and judgment can be impacted.
At the origin of 60% to 70% of cases, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Rare before age 65, this pathology then affects 2% to 4% of the general population, 15% at age 80, according to Inserm figures.
At the beginning of the disease, how can you tell the difference between a brain that is aging normally and one that is suffering from dementia? “The difference between a healthy aging brain and pathological degeneration is the gradual death of neurons. Changes will occur gradually,” notes Prof. Hana Burianova, a neuroscientist at Bournemouth University, to the Daily Mail. For the British newspaper, she lists the first five signs of dementia.
1 – Losing memory
Repeated memory loss remains the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Forgetting a conversation you’ve just had, not finding your way around when it’s a familiar route, not remembering to lock your door when you leave… these are all telltale signs, especially when they become recurring. “Anyone can forget to turn off the stove, but in a person who suffers from Alzheimer’s, this is repeated”, underlines Hana Burianova.
2 – Repeat the same things
Another sign to watch out for is saying the same things, telling the same stories, several times and in a very short period of time. “Someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s may repeat the same thing three times in a row. Immediate memory loss is a symptom of the disease”, indicates the specialist.
3 – Mood swings
Sudden mood swings can be a sign of dementia. This is the case at the beginning of frontotemporal dementia – the FTD from which actor Bruce Willis suffers. “We will try to understand why the person we love is suffering from a mental illness, but it’s more than that. It’s because part of the brain is deteriorating”, continues the neuroscientist. FTD can also be associated with memory loss.
4 – Difficulties speaking and understanding
Another point of vigilance: the difficulties in expressing themselves in people who had no problem before. This is another symptom of FTD that affects the frontal lobe of the brain, involved in language. Patients suffer from aphasia, which is difficulty speaking and/or understanding oral language.
5 – Personality changes
A final sign of dementia is the drastic change in personality. “Depending on the type of dementia, the personality can change when the prefrontal cortex is affected,” says Hana Burianova. Aggressiveness, obsessive-compulsive disorders, disinhibition, fear… are all signs to which you should be attentive.
While there is no cure for dementia, Public Health France recommends maintaining a good level of physical activity, eating well, practicing cognitive activities and activities that you enjoy to delay the progression of the disease. .