Hoag Health Center - Newport Beach Memory & Cognitive Program
Hoag Health Center - Newport Beach Memory & Cognitive Program
520 Superior Ave, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 557-0330
Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute
Memory & Cognitive Disorders Program
520 Superior Ave, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 557-0330
- About
- Conditions Treated
- Treatments
- Education & Resources
- Brain Health Outreach Program
- FAQs
- Meet the Team
Causes of Cognitive Impairment
Cognitive impairment can arise from virtually any poorly controlled chronic disease of the brain or the body’s organs, including hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes, chronic obstructive lung disease, kidney disease, infections, severe pain syndromes, obesity, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and alcohol, sedative, opiate or other chemical dependency. Single or repeated head injuries can impair cognition. Certain medications that get into the brain can impair cognition, such as tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, older antidepressants, pain medications, and older bladder incontinence medications. Most of these conditions are treatable, particularly when memory cognitive disorders are detected early through annual monitoring of cognition after age 50 years old.
The degenerative brain disorders account for less than 50% of all people with memory and cognitive disorders in primary care medical settings. These include Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Disease, Frontal Temporal Lobe Disease, and prion disease.
In recent years, infusion therapies have emerged as a promising avenue for managing certain forms of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. These treatments often involve the intravenous administration of monoclonal antibodies that target amyloid-beta plaques—abnormal protein deposits commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Medications such as lecanemab and donanemab have shown potential in slowing disease progression when administered during the early stages of cognitive decline. In addition to anti-amyloid therapies, infusion treatments may also include vitamins, nutrients, or other compounds aimed at improving metabolic or neuroinflammatory processes involved in cognitive decline. While not a cure, these infusion-based approaches represent an important step forward in the therapeutic landscape, offering hope for improved quality of life and extended cognitive function in individuals diagnosed with degenerative brain disorders.
Common Memory Conditions
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the brain, leading to memory loss, confusion, and changes in behavior. It is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for a decline in cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.
In Alzheimer's disease, abnormal protein deposits, such as amyloid plaques and tau tangles, build up in the brain, disrupting the communication between nerve cells and ultimately causing their death. This leads to a gradual decline in cognitive functions, including memory, reasoning, and language skills.
The early symptoms often include forgetfulness, difficulty remembering recent events, or repeating questions. As the disease progresses, it can cause more severe symptoms like disorientation, difficulty recognizing loved ones, changes in mood or behavior, and loss of the ability to perform everyday tasks.
Although the exact cause of Alzheimer's isn't fully understood, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors are believed to contribute to its development. Currently, there is no cure, but treatments can help manage symptoms or slow the progression of the disease.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a group of brain disorders caused by the progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are associated with important functions such as personality, behavior, decision-making, and language. FTD typically affects people at a younger age than other forms of dementia, often beginning in the 50s or 60s.
There are two main types of FTD, behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA).
As the disease progresses, people with FTD may experience changes in motor skills, such as difficulty walking or controlling movements, especially in certain forms of FTD that overlap with motor neuron diseases like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a type of progressive neurological condition that affects the brain. It is caused by the abnormal buildup of proteins called alpha-synuclein that form structures known as Lewy bodies within brain cells. These Lewy bodies disrupt the normal functioning of the brain, leading to a range of symptoms that can vary from person to person.
There are two main types of LBD:
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
– This form primarily affects cognitive function, such as memory, thinking, and reasoning. People with DLB may also experience hallucinations, fluctuations in alertness, and motor symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD)
– This form typically develops in people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with cognitive changes occurring later on in the disease.
Vascular dementia is a type of cognitive decline caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, often due to strokes or other blood vessel problems. When the brain's blood supply is disrupted, it can lead to brain cell damage, affecting memory, thinking, and behavior.
There are two main types of vascular dementia:
Multi-infarct dementia
This is the most common form, where small strokes (or "infarcts") occur in various parts of the brain, leading to gradual cognitive decline.
Subcortical vascular dementia
This form is typically linked to the narrowing of small blood vessels in the brain, affecting areas responsible for memory and executive functions like planning and decision-making.
MCI is also identified as the first clinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The subtype of MCI associated with AD is called amnestic MCI and affects an individual’s memory. Approximately 80% of people with amnestic MCI develop AD within 6 years. According to the Mayo Clinic, 15-20% of MCI patients progress to dementia each year. In comparison, the progression rate for the general population is 1-2%. Since MCI is the first symptomatic stage of AD, accurately detecting MCI enables medical professionals to then take the steps necessary to determine if a patient has early stage AD and might benefit from timely intervention.
Symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Your brain changes as you grow older just like the rest of your body. Many people notice gradually increasing forgetfulness as they age. It may take longer to think of a word or to recall a person’s name.
But consistent or increasing concern about your mental performance may suggest MCI. Cognitive issues may go beyond what’s expected and indicate possible MCI if you experience any or all of the following:
You forget things more often.
You forget important events such as appointments or social engagements.
You lose your train of thought or the thread of conversations, books or movies.
You feel increasingly overwhelmed by making decisions, planning steps to accomplish a task or interpreting instructions.
You start to have trouble finding your way around familiar environments.
You become more impulsive or show increasingly poor judgment.
Your family and friends notice any of these changes.
If you have MCI, you may also experience:
Depression
Irritability and aggression
Anxiety
Apathy
Individuals in the dementia stage have declined in ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living, which include well learned skills such as cooking, shopping for groceries, driving to familiar locations, paying bills, doing housework or home repairs, performing well learned hobbies or pastimes.
The dementia stage progresses to affect even more well learned skills, called basic activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, operating a toilet, planning to urinate or defecate so that they get to the toilet on time. Dementia finally progresses to affect walking speech, swallowing and control of the trunk, neck and face. The dementia stage is not seen in normal aging individuals and is due to one or more cognitive disorders. In Alzheimer’s Disease, the dementia stage lasts an average of 7 years.
Examples of cognitive impairment often seen during the dementia stage are:
Rapid forgetting of recent instructions, conversations, or events
Difficulty recognizing or naming common objects, familiar persons, or places
Difficulty communicating in one’s usual capacity
Difficulty making decisions or judgments such as the proper clothing to wear
Difficulty organizing, planning and executing tasks such as packing or planning a vacation
Difficulty operating familiar instruments such as a remote control, telephone, or computer
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