Definition
In Germany, about 200,000 new cases of dementia occur every year. There are numerous different causes of dementia. These causes are relevant for the treatment of dementia.
Some forms cannot be cured, but the natural course can often be slowed down by therapy. Other forms of dementia, however, can be completely cured by removing the cause. For this reason, it is very important to question every form of dementia whether there is a treatable cause.
If a person has Alzheimer’s disease, the brain increasingly suffers from the death of nerve cells and the connections between the individual nerve cells. The causes of this cell loss are still not fully understood. Various studies have shown protein deposits – protein particles that cannot be broken down properly by the brain and are deposited in and between the nerve cells.
The nucleus basalis Meynert, a part of the brain in which the transmitter acetylcholine is released, is particularly affected at an early stage. This leads to a disturbance in information processing and thus to a disturbed short-term memory. The transmitter acetylcholine is also the starting point for some drugs used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s dementia is more frequent in some families. This speaks for the existence of hereditary causes. In general, it can be said that the earlier the disease breaks out, the higher the risk of the relatives.
Vascular dementia
Vascular means that the vessels are involved. In order for the brain to work sufficiently, a consistent supply of oxygen-rich blood to the tissue is necessary. This is done via the cerebral arteries, which divide into numerous small vessels in the brain.
Vascular dementia can occur if the brain tissue is insufficiently supplied. Most often, this disease is based on arteriosclerosis, i.e. fat deposits and inflammatory processes that lead to a narrowing of the vessel. On the one hand, this generally reduces the blood flow.
On the other hand, the formation of small clots is promoted, which can block the vessel. In most cases the disease develops insidiously. Often the affected persons are affected by high blood pressure that lasts for years, which damages the vessel walls.
Frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia is initially caused by nerve cell death in the frontal and temporal lobes. In this form of dementia, the presence of dementia in the immediate family environment is reported particularly frequently. Studies show that a number of different genes probably play a role. So-called pick-bodies, defective protein accumulations in the brains of affected persons, have been shown. In general, however, there is still a considerable need for research into the causes of FTD.
DLB
The cause of Lewy body dementia is the deposition of the eponymous Lewy bodies in nerve cells. These are special protein accumulations that are also responsible for the clinical picture of Parkinson’s disease.
