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 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.