How Likely Am I to Develop a Memory Loss Disease?

Diseases that cause memory loss tend to be neurodegenerative diseases, which are characterized by progressive deterioration within the brain. Three common neurodegenerative memory loss diseases are Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Of these, Alzheimer’s is by far the most common. 

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a tragically common memory loss disease; one in three people will develop Alzheimer’s before they die. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease associated with plaques and tangles that develop in the brain. It is marked by cognitive and memory impairments that progress in severity over time. Alzheimer’s generally arises later in life, and its early stages are easily confused with normal memory impairment due to aging.

Risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include:

·         A family history of the disease

·         Mild cognitive impairment

·         Certain genetic factors

·         Existing cardiovascular disease

·         Traumatic brain injury

·         Lack of regular mental stimulation and low level of education

As you grow older, you become increasingly more likely to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. One in nine people age 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease; among people 85 and older, one in three has Alzheimer’s. Statistically, women are more likely to have Alzheimer’s than men; however, this may have to do with the fact that women generally tend to live longer. 

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the death of dopamine-generating cells in a region of the brain called the substantia nigra. The earliest and most obvious symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are motor symptoms such as shaking and rigidity, but Parkinson’s is also among the most well-known memory loss diseases and is likely to affect a person’s ability to recall learned information.

The cause or causes of Parkinson’s disease are not yet completely known, although evidence suggests it has a heritable genetic component.

As many as one million Americans have Parkinson’s disease. Worldwide, there are between seven and ten million people with this disease.

Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease include:

·         Advanced age

·         Family history of Parkinson’s

·         In women, declining estrogen levels

·         Exposure to environmental toxins, such as in the course of agricultural work

·         Genetic factors

·         Low levels of Vitamin B Folate

·         Head trauma 

Huntington ’s Disease

Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline. It can impair a range of memory functions, including long-term memory, short-term memory, episodic memory, and procedural memory. Huntington’s disease is more common in people of Western European descent than those of African or Asian descent and can affect both women and men. Huntington’s disease affects an estimated three to seven out of every 100,000 people of European descent.

Unlike Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease is caused by a known genetic factor, the dominant form of a gene called huntingtin. Because this gene is autosomal dominant, only one parent has to have the dominant allele of the gene for a child to inherit the disease.

Three prevalent memory loss diseases are Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is caused by a dominant allele in a known gene, whereas the causes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are less understood. Alzheimer’s is by far the most prevalent of these diseases, and is the most likely to affect a given individual. Depending on how long you live, the chances are that you will eventually develop some degree of Alzheimer’s. 

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR MEMORY LOSS