Abstract
[Extract]
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder, mostly associated with cognitive decline in older age, although it can also happen in younger age (under 55 years old). The prevalence of AD increases as we get older, with at least a quarter of the population over 85 being diagnosed with the disease. The exact causes of AD and how it progresses over age are not known, but research has identified many factors, including behavioural, metabolic, genetic, and immunological ones. Beside memory decline, patients with AD also show language deficits, including difficulty remembering meaning of words and naming objects (Tippett & Farah, 1994) and word finding and comprehension (Ferris & Farlow, 2013). Patients with AD also exhibit impairment in executive processes in comparison to age matched healthy controls (Baudic, Barba, Thibaudet, Smagghe, Remy, & Traykov, 2006; Perry & Hodges, 1999), such as driving. So in short, AD is characterized by a complex cluster of symptoms spanning memory, attentional, linguistic, and executive processes.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder, mostly associated with cognitive decline in older age, although it can also happen in younger age (under 55 years old). The prevalence of AD increases as we get older, with at least a quarter of the population over 85 being diagnosed with the disease. The exact causes of AD and how it progresses over age are not known, but research has identified many factors, including behavioural, metabolic, genetic, and immunological ones. Beside memory decline, patients with AD also show language deficits, including difficulty remembering meaning of words and naming objects (Tippett & Farah, 1994) and word finding and comprehension (Ferris & Farlow, 2013). Patients with AD also exhibit impairment in executive processes in comparison to age matched healthy controls (Baudic, Barba, Thibaudet, Smagghe, Remy, & Traykov, 2006; Perry & Hodges, 1999), such as driving. So in short, AD is characterized by a complex cluster of symptoms spanning memory, attentional, linguistic, and executive processes.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Computational Models of Brain and Behavior |
Editors | Ahmed A. Moustafa |
Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell |
Chapter | 8 |
Pages | 99-108 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-1-119-15918-6 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-1-119-15906-3 |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |