A brief introduction to dementia

Dementia has been a core research interest for me since I began my research career. I have always been facinated by how our brains actually work, but as I started to learn about brain dysfunction during my uni studies, I became hooked.
I suppose what that draws me most to dementia research is that the process of dementia destroys many of the things that we consider make us "human". Dementia is a broad term used to describe a progressive decline in brain function. This can affect all the processes that occur within our brains, often without us being consciously aware of them! Therefore, dementia can affect learning and memory, motor functioning, the executive functioning of the brain and our sense of social and cultural norms.
There are many, many causes of dementia, some of which can be reversed- for example, certain vitamin deficiencies.
Unfortunately, for most causes of dementia, there are no effective treatments or cures to date. And, we still do not understand the causes of the many types of dementia.
Many people sometimes confuse Alzheimer's disease with dementia. This is probably because Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia around the world. Many people have probably heard of Alzheimer's, unfortunately, this is because the prevalence of the disease is increasing. It is generally accepted that this increase is due to the ageing population- the fact that we are, on average living longer. And as age is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's, the incidence of the disease and the impact of this terrible disorder on our community is only going to rise.
However, many people don't realise that Alzheimer's disease not only strikes the elderly in our community-it is not merely a disease of old-age.
I will post some more facts and figures about dementia and Alzheimer's in the coming days, it is important that awareness is raised as this set of neurodegenerative diseases pose a major public health, economic and social issue. If you want some more information in the meantime, the Alzheimer's Australia website is a great place to start. Alzheimer's Australia performs a vital role in dementia advocacy and the website is a fantastic resource for dementia sufferers and their families.