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Is your memory failing you? Let's do something about it —
Friday, June 19, 2009 - 12 noon (EST)
Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities. It is estimated that more than 5 million individuals in North America suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease progresses over many years from symptoms such as mild forgetfulness to more severe difficulties with memory, abstract reasoning, language, and the ability to function in general.
While increasing age is the largest risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease, severe memory loss is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia among older people.
Dementia is the loss of mental functions-such as thinking, memory, and reasoning-that is severe enough to interfere with a person's daily functioning. Dementia is not a disease itself, but rather a group of symptoms that might accompany certain diseases or conditions. Symptoms also might include changes in personality, mood, and behavior. Dementia is irreversible when caused by disease or injury, but might be reversible when caused by drugs, alcohol, hormone or vitamin imbalances, or depression.
Dementia develops when the parts of the brain that are involved with learning, memory, decision-making, and language are affected by any of various infections or diseases. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, but there are as many as 50 other known causes.
The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (CCLRCBH) brings together neuroscientists, physicians, therapists, surgeons, imaging specialists and other Cleveland Clinic staff to establish programs to improve our diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders, especially those of later life.
The CCLRCBH offers state-of-the-art diagnostic service for patients with cognitive disorders and a multi-modality treatment program for diagnosed with mild cognitive impairments. The treatment program includes physical exercise, cognitive rehabilitation, and cognitive enhancing medications.
Randolph Schiffer, MD, a nationally recognized neurologist/psychiatrist, is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Dr. Schiffer's clinical interests include neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and neuropsychiatric disease. Prior to his tenure at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Schiffer served for 10 years as Chair of the combined Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
This Health Chat will open on June 18, 2009 to allow you to submit questions. We will try to answer as many questions as possible during the chat. Please create an account to attend the chat and submit your questions.