senile dementia

dementia /de·men·tia/ (dĕ-men´shah) a general loss of cognitive abilities, including impairment of memory as well as one or more of the following: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or disturbed planning, organizing, and abstract thinking abilities. It does not include decreased cognitive functioning due to clouding of consciousness, depression, or other functional mental disorder.

---

Alzheimer's dementia  see under disease.

dementia of the Alzheimer type  dementia of insidious onset and gradually progressive course, with histopathological changes characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, categorized as early onset or late onset depending on whether or not it begins by the age of 65.

arteriosclerotic dementia  multi-infarct dementia as a result of cerebral arteriosclerosis.

Binswanger's dementia  see under disease.

boxer's dementia  a syndrome due to cumulative cerebral injuries in boxers, with forgetfulness, slowness in thinking, dysarthric speech, and slow uncertain movements, especially of the legs.

dialysis dementia  see under encephalopathy.

multi-infarct dementia  vascular d.

paralytic dementia , dementia paraly´tica general paresis.

dementia prae´cox  (obs.) schizophrenia.

presenile dementia  that occurring in younger persons, usually age 65 or younger; since most cases are due to Alzheimer's disease, the term is sometimes used as a synonym of dementia of the Alzheimer type, early onset, and has also been used to denote Alzheimer's disease.

senile dementia  that occurring in older persons, usually over the age of 65; since most cases are due to Alzheimer's disease, the term is sometimes used as a synonym of dementia of the Alzheimer type, late onset.

subcortical dementia  any of a group of dementias thought to be caused by lesions particularly affecting subcortical brain structures, characterized by memory loss with slowness of information processing and of the formation of intellectual responses.

substance-induced persisting dementia  that resulting from exposure to or use or abuse of a substance (e.g., alcohol, sedatives, anticonvulsants, or lead) but persisting long after exposure ends, usually with permanent and worsening deficits.

vascular dementia  that with a stepwise deteriorating course and a patchy distribution of neurologic deficits caused by cerebrovascular disease.

---

senile dementia

n.

A progressive, abnormally accelerated deterioration of mental faculties and emotional stability in old age, occurring especially in Alzheimer's disease.

---

senile dementia,

dementia occurring in older persons, usually over the age of 65. Since most cases are due to Alzheimer's disease, the term is sometimes used as a synonym for dementia of the Alzheimer type, late onset.

---

senile dementia

The cognitive decline and progressive neurodegeneration typical of older adults; ischemia of periventricular white matter may cause a significant proportion of SD, which disconnects the relatively intact cerebral cortex, resulting in true subcortical dementia or Binswanger type dementia. Cf Alzheimer's disease, Lacunar state, Multi-infarct dementia, Pseudodementia.