Cognitive impairment is one of the most common neurological symptoms that signals a brain disorder. These violations directly affect the ability to reasonably understand the world. And the reasons for this may be a number of different diseases. What is the essence of this pathology?
What are cognitive impairment?
The cognitive properties of the body embody such functions of our nervous system that are responsible for the awareness, perception, study, understanding and processing of information from our environment. Without this important function, a person is not capable of correctly perceiving and cognizing the world around him. The following are the functions that will suffer as a result of this pathology:
- Perception. A person cannot perceive information from the external environment.
- Intelligence. The ability to analyze information is impaired. A person is not able to make conclusions.
- Psychomotor function. The ability to perform various motor skills is lost.
- Memory. The ability to save and reproduce the received information is impaired.
- Attention. A person with great difficulty can extract any information from the general stream, he has difficulty concentrating.
- Speech.
Causes of Violations
The causes of cognitive impairment are conventionally divided into two categories: organic and functional.
The latter is characterized by the fact that a person does not have any direct damage to the brain. Stressful situations, overwork, negative emotions can lead to this condition. It can be observed in people of all ages and at the same time does not pose a particular danger. Usually the symptoms go away on their own after the cause of their appearance has been eliminated. Occasionally, there is a need for the use of light medication.
Brain damage
Organic disorders always mean brain damage. Similar conditions are more common in older people. But competent treatment in most cases will allow to achieve significant improvements even with cognitive impairment in old age.
The most popular causes of this pathology:
- hypothyroidism;
- diabetes;
- various injuries;
- cerebrovascular diseases - atherosclerosis (leading to occlusion of the great vessels), stroke, arterial hypertension;
- liver failure;
- renal failure;
- irrational consumption of drugs;
- addiction;
- alcoholism;
- a brain tumor;
- multiple sclerosis;
- Alzheimer's disease;
- Parkinson's disease;
- poisoning.
How does cognitive impairment syndrome manifest itself?
Symptoms
Symptoms of the disease are very diverse. In many ways, they will be determined by the severity of the pathological process and its location in the brain. In cognitive impairment, most often, not one function is damaged, but several at once:
- lost orientation in unfamiliar places;
- the dynamism of thinking decreases - new information may not be perceived, it is difficult for the patient to draw conclusions;
- there is a lack of criticality in assessing one’s behavior;
- concentration of attention decreases - difficulties are experienced in solving specific problems;
- memory functions decrease - at first a person forgets events that have recently occurred, and as he progresses, he forgets what happened a long time ago.
Kinds
Based on the degree of manifestation of violations, three types can be identified.
In mild cognitive impairment, the symptoms look like a decrease in concentration, an imperceptible deterioration in memory, and high fatigue in various types of mental labor. A person can forget the names of acquaintances, is not able to find a way in an unfamiliar place, it is difficult for him to choose words. Often he cannot remember where he left a thing.
Examination of these disorders is carried out using psychological and clinical studies. So, when performing neuropsychological tests, a violation of the serial count can be established. The patient is characterized by the absence of global changes in the emotional and behavioral sphere, there are no injuries in the brain. There is a slight violation of professional and social activity.
Mild cognitive impairment is caused by a deterioration in one or more functions. The patient may need help from outside, since he almost does not remember some situations in his life, is not able to find a way.
Dementia
Severe cognitive impairment is dementia. This type is characterized by the presence of complex problems in the professional and social sphere, and even in banal self-service. He constantly needs outside help. A person has a disorientation in time, he does not remember many life events. The situation may be complicated by the appearance of obsessions, anxiety, delirium and hallucinations. The most severe manifestation is a complete lack of psychomotor skills, urinary incontinence, and speech loss.
Cognitive impairment in children
This problem is often observed in children and adolescents. Its causes may lie in the deficiency of vitamins and minerals necessary for the body, injuries during childbirth, previous diseases, cerebral hypoxia, and intrauterine infections.
It is important to know that the most common cause of cognitive impairment in children is hypovitaminosis. Scientists conducted a number of studies, as a result of which they found a clear pattern of cognitive decline in children, the reason for which is the lack of micronutrients in them.
Characteristic signs of cognitive impairment in children are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an unstable psyche, impaired behavioral reflexes, and difficulty in mastering writing and reading skills.
Preparations
Treatment of children with cognitive impairment must be carried out in a complex that includes drug and non-drug methods of therapy. Of the drugs, in most cases, nootropic drugs are used. They increase the functions of metabolism and interneuronal transmission in the central nervous system, which is good for intellectual activity, memory, speech, attention and learning ability. Such drugs include Encephabol, Piracetam, Piracetam, Instenon.
A positive effect is obtained during classes with a psychotherapist, as well as through memory training, for example, memorizing songs and poems by heart.
How to identify cognitive disorders that occur in the brain
In order to detect the presence and degree of cognitive impairment of the brain, it is necessary to interview the patient and his relatives in detail. It is necessary to take into account the presence of injuries in the anamnesis, heredity, the mental and emotional state of the patient, the use of drugs, bad habits.
Neurologists examine the patient for the presence of an underlying disease that may give neurological symptoms.
The mental state will help determine the profile specialist, using a neuropsychological test. Such tests are unique exercises for reproducing words and pictures, solving problems, performing any kind of motor exercises and similar actions.
In case of cognitive impairment in the elderly, it is very good to use the MMSE scale - this is a list of questions that can evaluate the position of memory, perception, speech, reading, sketching, spatial orientation, etc. This scale can also be used to assess adequacy and effectiveness. treatment.
In patients with acquired cognitive impairment, special laboratory tests should be performed. The doctor needs to have the data of biochemical and clinical blood tests, the level of thyroid-stimulating hormones, lipid profiles and some other indicators.
Of the hardware methods, the following are used: electroencephalography, computed and magnetic resonance imaging, dopplerography of the great vessels.
The patient needs to eliminate possible somatic diseases.
If there is any suspicion of Alzheimer's disease, a differential diagnosis of this disease with vascular dementia should be carried out.
How to treat cognitive impairment?
Therapies
If you observe even the most insignificant signs of cognitive impairment, you need to start using vitamin-mineral complexes and take the glycine amino acid. Of course, self-medication is not recommended, so you should consult your doctor before starting any therapy.
Correction of cognitive impairment, of course, will largely depend on the cause of their origin. But its most important goal is to correct the pathological changes that occur in the brain. In addition to treating the underlying disease, doctors advise taking neuroprotective agents to enhance cognitive function. These include: Cavinton, Piracetam, Nootropil, Ceraxon, Cerebrolysin, Mildronate. It is also a good prevention of the further occurrence of this disorder.
If the patient has severe cognitive impairment and revealed dementia, he will be prescribed the following drugs: Nicergoline, Galantamine, Memantine, Rivastigmine, Donepezil. The duration of the course and dosage are determined strictly individually.
The patient is also shown medications that will help to cope with hypercholesterolemia - "Simvastatin", "Torvakard", "Atorvastatin". In addition, doctors recommend a cholesterol-free diet. It is necessary to add vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk, cottage cheese and seafood to the diet. It is also important to give up bad habits, if any. A course of psychotherapy will be helpful.
Additional Information
Doctors advise everyone to learn poems, do drawing, knitting, or some other activity where you need to use your hands. Crossword puzzles are also useful. This pastime is a wonderful exercise for the brain.
How to prevent cognitive impairment?
Prevention and prognosis
It is impossible to make a general prognosis for cognitive impairment. In each case, the results are individual. But if you seek the help of a doctor in a timely manner and follow all the instructions, you will be able to slow down the development of the disease process.
It should be noted that there are two forms of cognitive impairment: reversible and irreversible. The first form can be adjusted, but the second - no.
Prevention includes special measures that are aimed at reducing stress and increasing mental and physical activity of a person. In order to avoid the appearance of such pathologies, one should try to constantly perform any intellectual tasks from a young age. In addition, in order to prevent dementia, it is necessary to timely treat vascular diseases, liver diseases, as well as replenish the lack of B vitamins.
The treatment of cognitive impairment should be timely.
Most cases indicate that symptoms are only progressing. So an important goal of prevention is inhibition of the further course of destructive processes, reduction of pathological effects on the brain. To do this, adhere to certain rules:
- Engage in various exercises for training cognitive properties, which we have already mentioned.
- Take medications prescribed by your doctor.
- Maintain a stable mental and emotional state, beware of negative emotions, stress.
- Since there is a connection between cognitive functions and physical activity, you should definitely engage in any kind of sports (gymnastics, swimming, yoga, Pilates, walking).
- One cannot ignore the importance of social activity. In people who are socially isolated, the risk of such violations is great.
- It is also necessary to focus on your diet. It needs to be balanced. A positive effect will be if you follow a Mediterranean diet. You can take vitamins and nutritional supplements: vitamin E, B vitamins, copper, zinc, omega-3.
Finally
Cognitive impairment, of course, is a very serious problem for human health. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to detect it in the first stages of occurrence. This can help in taking adequate measures to prevent the progression of the disease.