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Cognitive Disorders
Madiha Anas
Institute of Psychology
Beaconhouse National University
Cognitive Disorders:
Areas affected
 Thoughts
 The
capacity of memory
 Perception
 The ability to be attentive
Nature of Cognitive Disorders:


Perspectives on Cognitive Disorders
 Affect cognitive processes such as learning, memory, and
consciousness
 Most develop later in life
Three Classes of Cognitive Disorders
 Delirium – often temporary confusion and disorientation
 Dementia – degenerative condition marked by broad cognitive
deterioration
 Amnestic disorders – memory dysfunctions caused by disease,
drugs, or toxins
Delirium
clouding of consciousness
unawareness of what’s happening around
unable to focus or pay attention
memory is foggy

Delirium: An Overview

Nature of Delirium
 Central features –
 impaired consciousness and cognition
 Impairments develop rapidly over several
hours or
days
 Examples include confusion, disorientation, attention,
memory, and language deficits

Facts and Statistics
 Affects
10% to 30% of persons in acute care facilities
 Most prevalent in older adults, AIDS patients, and
medical patients
 Full recovery often occurs within several weeks
Symptoms of delirium
Perceptual Disturbances
 Speech Problems
 Motor Problems
 Hyperactive
 Hypoactive

Medical Conditions Related to
Delirium

Medical Conditions
 Drug
intoxication or withdrawal from drugs
 Infections, head injury, and several different forms of
brain trauma
 Sleep deprivation, immobility, and excessive stress

DSM-IV and DSM-IV Subtypes of Delirium
 Delirium
due to a general medical condition
 Substance-induced delirium
 Delirium due to multiple etiologies
 Delirium not otherwise specified
Dementia
“ progressive deficits in a person’s memory and learning
of new information, ability to communicate, judgment,
and motor co-ordination. It impacts on a person’s ability
to work and interact normally with other people”.
Dementia

Nature of Dementia




Gradual deterioration of brain functioning
Affects judgment, memory, language, and other cognitive
processes
Dementia has many causes and may be reversible or
irreversible
Progression of Dementia: Initial Stages




Memory impairment, visuospatial skills deficits
Agnosia – inability to recognize and name objects (most
common symptom)
Facial agnosia – inability to recognize familiar faces
Other symptoms – delusions, depression, agitation, aggression,
and apathy
Dementia: An Overview

Progression of Dementia: Later Stages
 Cognitive
functioning continues to deteriorate
 Person requires almost total support to carry
out day-to-day activities
 Death results from inactivity combined with
onset of other illnesses
Dementia: Facts and Statistics

Onset and Prevalence





most common in the elderly
Affects 1% of those between 65-74 years of age
Affects over 10% of persons 85 years and older
47% of adults over the age of 85 have dementia of the
Alzheimer’s type
Gender and Sociocultural Factors


Dementia occurs equally in men and women
Dementia occurs equally across educational level and social
class
DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR
Classes of Dementia
Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type
 Vascular Dementia
 Dementia due to other general medical
conditions
 Substance-induced persisting Dementia
 Dementia due to multiple etiologies
 Dementia not otherwise specified

Dementia of the Alzheimer’s
Type: An Overview

DSM-IV-TR Criteria and Clinical
Features
 Multiple
cognitive deficits that develop
gradually and steadily
 Predominant impairment in memory,
orientation, judgment, and reasoning
 Can include agitation, confusion, depression,
anxiety, or combativeness
 Symptoms are usually more pronounced at
the end of the day
Dementia of the Alzheimer’s
Type

Range of Cognitive Deficits
– difficulty with language
 Apraxia – impaired motor functioning
 Agnosia – failure to recognize objects
 Difficulties with planning, organizing, sequencing, or
abstracting information
 Impairments have a marked negative impact on social
and occupational functioning
 Aphasia
Alzheimer’s Disease:
Nature and Progression of the Disease
Deterioration
is slow during the early
and later stages, but rapid during middle
stages
Average survival time is about 8 years
Onset usually occurs in the 60s or 70s,
but may occur earlier
Vascular Dementia

Nature of Vascular Dementia




Progressive brain disorder caused by blockage or damage to
blood vessels
Second leading cause of dementia next to Alzheimer’s
Onset is often sudden (e.g., stroke)
Patterns of impairment are variable, and most require formal
care in later stages
Other Causes of Dementia:
Head Trauma and Parkinson’s Disease


Head Trauma
 Accidents are leading causes of such cognitive
impairments
 Memory loss is the most common symptom
Parkinson’s Disease
 Degenerative brain disorder
 Affects about 1 out of 1,000 people worldwide
 Motor problems are characteristic of this disorder
Other Dementias:
Substance-Induced Dementia

Substance-Induced Persisting Dementia
 Results
from drug use in combination with poor diet
 Examples include alcohol, inhalants, sedative,
hypnotic drugs
 Resulting brain damage may be permanent
 Dementia is similar to that of Alzheimer’s
 Deficits may include aphasia, apraxia or agnosia
Amnestic Disorders
People with Amnestic
disorders are unable to recall
previously learned information
or to register new memories.
Amnestic Disorder

Nature of Amnestic Disorder
 loss
of memory
 Inability to transfer information into long-term memory
 Often results from medical conditions, head trauma,
or long-term drug use

DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Amnestic
Disorder
 Cover
the inability to learn new information
 Inability to recall previously learned information
 Memory disturbance causes significant impairment in
functioning
Types of Amnestic Disorders

Retrograde Amnesia:
 Characterized
by inability to recall past
information/memory.

Anterograde Amnesia:
 Characterized
by inability to learn and recall
new information.
 In severe forms of anterograde amnesia,
people newly met are, immediately forgotten.
Types according to DSM-IV TR:


The DSM-IV TR includes two major categories of
amnestic disorders:
Amnesia due to general medical condition:



It may be chronic (lasting a month or more) or transient.
That can result from a wide variety of medical problems, such as
head trauma or lack of oxygen
Substance induced persisting amnestic disorder:

This condition may be caused by an array of substances
including medications, illicit drugs or environmental toxins such
as lead, mercury, and industrial solvents.
Causes of Cognitive Disorders

1.Biological Perspective:

Cognitive disorders caused by the less blood flow to the brain areas or
when there is some clot in the brain can cause cognitive impairment.
 A variety of other factors like substance intoxication or withdrawal, high
fever, vitamin deficiency can also cause cognitive impairment.

2.Genetic Perspective:


Cognitive disorders can be genetic if a person has a family history of
dementia and other cognitive disorders.
3.Other Factors:

Other factors such as head injury, trauma, surgery, substance
intoxication can also lead to cognitive impairment.