Cognitive Dysfunction

A person with a cognitive disorder does not process information correctly within the brain. This results in impaired awareness and judgement, difficulty in reasoning and focusing, loss of memory and abnormal mental capacity.

cognition noted during assessment of attention & memory on neuropsychological testing. It is temporary impairment in cognition associated with surgery. The diagnosis is usually made by a preoperative testing of the cognitive functions (memory, learning, attention, abstract thinking) and then assessing the degree of impairment in these

Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms of a number of illnesses which effect the function of the brain. It is an umbrella term describing the progressive decline in a person’s cognitive ability. The type and severity of symptoms varies with each type of dementia and is usually has a gradual onset, is progressive and irreversible. (1)

Though we may not realize it nor want to acknowledge it, Cognitive Psychology is a part of every human 's daily life. Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of the mind as an information processor. In a simpler definition, it is the study of how our minds interpret and process things that we either are informed of or something we take into thought. Cognitive Psychology is a part of our attention process, language use, our memory for both long and short term, perception, problem solving, creativity, and the way we think. Each of these different features are a part of how we perceive information, think, remember, and use the information we gather. Through this branch of psychology, researchers are able to observe the relationship

In a study that was done called aging, demographics and memory study (ADAMS) it was found that older African Americans are two times more likely than older whites to develop Alzheimer or any other dementia. Some of the reasons that have been discovered as to why older African Americans are more common to have Alzheimer’s is because they are found to have higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, along with other vascular diseases. Some other factors that can affect who may end up with Alzheimer’s are lower level of education, and socioeconomic characteristics which are found to be more common in African Americans. In the health and retirement study (HRS) 80% of African Americans were found to have high blood pressure. Other risks that have been found to have increased risk of Alzheimer’s are those with lower educations, low income being below $18,000 a year, and

Cognitive behaviour is dysfunctional emotions and behaviours caused by damage in brain affecting part of the brain responsible for memory and all that we learn from birth- how to talk, eat etc. This means that person with dementia can forget how important it is to eat and drink. They also may lose sense of hunger and thirst. It can become problem putting client’s health at risk.

During the pre-briefing, the group collectively discussed the patient’s history, presenting issues and other influences to the patient's care. As well, during this time, the group worked to identify role expectations, protocols, timelines and other presenting issues that would require consideration, including impaired circulation/post-op bleeding, mental status or hypoxemia. Decision-making in this aspect was based on the determined role and intended learning outcomes.

Over one-third of the surgeries in the United States are performed on patients aged 65 and older, and delirium is one of the most common postoperative complications in this population. Despite the high incidence of delirium, the syndrome often goes undiagnosed. Postoperative delirium is associated with adverse functional and cognitive outcomes, increased hospital length of stay, cost of care, and mortality rate. Knowledge of the risk factors that predict postoperative delirium will aid early identification of the patients at highest risk in order to facilitate preoperative optimization by managing comorbidities or employing targeted prevention strategies.

The investigation of how anesthesia effects cognitive functioning has had a long history. Overtime, it has been suggested that there is an association between anesthesia, surgery, delirium, dementia and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (Inan & Ozkose Satirlar, 2015). The theory of anesthesia’s impact on cognitive functioning was derived in 1887, by Savage, who began to observe the “insanity” that follows the use of anesthesia. He suggested that “Any cause which will give rise to delirium may set up a more chronic form of mental disorder quite apart from any febrile disturbance” (Savage, 1887, p. 1199). Delirium can be defined as an altered level of consciousness that may cause a sudden decline in attention and focus perception (Isik, 2015). Postoperative delirium was reevaluated in 1955 when Bedford used a series of case studies collected over a 50 year span to describe a connection between anesthesia and dementia. The results suggest that 10% of the patients had postoperative cognitive dysfunction (Bedford, 1955). Since these initial studies, research has persisted using a variety of methods, in an attempt to determine: both long- and short-term effects of anesthesia on cognitive functioning and memory; whether the anesthesia administration technique will change the outcome of postoperative cognitive dysfunction; and other risk factors that may be associated to AD.

Cognitive functioning is when an individual has the ability to use mental processes to learn, reason, problem solve, make decisions, and comprehend. It also helps in focusing your attention and remembering events. Without cognitive processing

The elderly population and woman are mostly at risk of having operation. Most patients who undergo

There are categories of brain dementia, which are cortical and subcortical. Subcortical dementia is marked by motor disruption. An example of subcortical dementia would be parkinson’s disease. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s is an example of cortical dementia, which as previously established is marked by memory loss. Although Alzheimer’s is classified as cortical dementia, it eventually destroys cells in all four lobes of the brain thus resulting in motor disruption as well. The ventricles, the fluid filled spaces in the brain begin to enlarge as the disease develops. The symptoms of memory loss and impaired cognitive functioning in Alzheimer’s disease can be attributed to damage in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The earliest detection

Q3: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a decline in cognitive function that does not meet the standards of dementia but is worse than what is expected for the patient’s age and educational background (Petersen et al., 1999). While a patient with MCI is at increased (10-20%) risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to the normal population, it is not necessary to classify patients as having MCI until they develop any further preclinical AD symptoms (Petersen et al., 1999). The diagnostic criteria for MCI includes: (1) impaired in memory that is greater than expected for age and general cognition is not effected (2) capable of performing daily activities and (3) not demented (Albert et al., 2011; Petersen et al., 1999).

A study conducted May 16, 2005 and ended March 25, 2006, 351 patients over the age of 65 who were recruited from General and Emergency Surgical Ward of the Unit of General, Emergency and Transplant Surgery. Looked at the increase in delirium in postoperative in the elderly

One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is making it to the gym and shedding off those extra unwanted pounds padded on from the end-of-year holidays that encourage over-indulgence of delicious treats and tasty comfort foods. This and many other unhealthy habits can lead to depression, anxiety and a reduced sense of self-worth. What most people do not realize is that the temptations can be lessened by having a better understanding of their brain health and its power. “Everything you are and everything you do is controlled by your brain” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Luckily, there is still hope for all of us to improve and repair our brains.