What Is Cortical Dementia?

According to Alzheimer's Disease International, more than 35 million people are living with dementia, and that number is expected to nearly double every 20 years.

Types of Dementia

Cortical dementia affects the cerebral cortex, whereas subcortical dementia results from dysfunction in other brain areas.

Types of Cortical Dementia

Alzheimer's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic, can be considered forms as well as causes of cortical dementia.

Symptoms

Symptoms include loss of mental functions such as thinking, reasoning, social abilities, memory, and ability to recall words or understand language.

Memory Loss

Cortical dementia diminishes semantic memory, or the memory of facts unrelated to specific experiences or contexts, and also episodic memory, or the memory of events that involved the person.

Treatment and Prognosis

There is no known treatment for cortical dementia, but drugs such as Namenda and Aricept are often used to slow the progression. Cortical dementias are irreversible and result in death.

References

• Alzheimers Disease International World Report
• The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Mayo Clinic Information on Dementia

Resources

• Stanford University: Dementia in Huntington's Disease