"Dementia is linked to changes in the brain. Health professionals used to assume that brain damage and dementia symptoms always went hand in hand. More recent research, however, shows that some people have significant brain damage yet never develop dementia. How can that be? In a previous post, I shared that dementia is defined by the inability to function in everyday life, such as getting lost in familiar places, having difficulty managing finances, forgetting to turn off the stove, or struggling with basic tasks."
"The Nun Study discovered a disjuncture between brain structure and cognitive performance in the 1990s. At the time, scientists could only confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease after death. Over 670 Catholic nuns from the School of Sisters of Notre Dame, aged 75 and older, agreed to do yearly cognitive tests, and to donate their brains for autopsy when they died."
Dementia results from brain deterioration that impairs everyday functioning, such as getting lost, managing finances, or completing basic tasks. Neurons communicate in networks that support thinking and behavior; when neurons are damaged or die, communication breaks down and protein accumulations like plaques and tangles further impair function. Some individuals show significant brain pathology yet retain normal cognition and daily functioning. Longitudinal studies, including large autopsy cohorts, found mismatches between brain structure and cognitive performance. Lifelong factors such as early education, stimulating work, and ongoing mental activity can build cognitive reserve that helps the brain compensate for neural damage.
Read at Psychology Today
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