Glossary of Terms

Alzheimer’s Disease - a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die

Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) - a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia and death

Dialysis Dementia - a unique neurologic complication of renal failure associated with chronic dialysis

Frontotemporal - a group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes

Huntington’s Disease - a rare, inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of nerve cells in the brain

Lewy Body - a disease associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain whose changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood

Metabolic Dementia - a loss of brain function that can occur with abnormal chemical processes in the body

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) - the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia

Neurosyphilis - a manifestation of late syphilis and it is characterized by cognitive deterioration and behavior disturbances

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) - a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the brain's ventricles, causing thinking and reasoning problems, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder control

Parkinson’s Disease - a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination.

Posterior Cortical Atrophy - gradual and progressive degeneration of the outer layer of the brain (the cortex) in the part of the brain located in the back of the head (posterior)

Traumatic-Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy - brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas

Vascular/Multi-infarct - the most common form of vascular dementia, which describes a loss of cognitive function from damaged blood vessels in the brain

Wernicke-Korsakoff (Alcoholic) - a degenerative brain disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1)