The Dementias: Diagnosis, Treatment, and ResearchMyron F. Weiner, Anne M. Lipton Confusion. Fear. Isolation. This is the human experience of dementing illness, and it is at the heart of this practical, informative volume by a broad range of clinically grounded experts. This book is designed to meet the needs of clinicians dealing with persons with dementing illness and to serve as an introduction to the pathophysiology of dementing illness and a resource for clinical investigators. The giant strides in dementia research since the publication of the first edition in 1991 have generated optimism that we will soon be able to delay onset and even prevent these diseases that devastate both patients and caregivers. This third edition has been revised, updated, and expanded to cover changes in the classification, management and treatment of dementing illnesses and to give a more extensive account of basic and clinical research findings. At the same time, this remarkable volume indicates the interaction of the patient's personality, the caregiver, and the environment with the pathophysiology of dementing illnesses that creates the variety of symptoms accompanying these illnesses and impacting their treatment. Like the second edition, this third edition has three sections, flowing from diagnosis through management/treatment to research. New to this edition are A world-class presentation on the molecular and genetic basis of Alzheimer's disease A beautifully illustrated chapter on contemporary neuroimaging Discussions of mild cognitive impairment, the frontotemporal dementias, and the dementias associated with Lewy bodies This third edition is exceptionally valuable for addressing the day-to-day challenges of dealing effectively and humanely with persons with dementing illness. Case examples are used in the chapters on psychological/behavioral and drug management to indicate practical approaches to maintaining patients at their optimal level of function. Unlike similar texts, this volume also reviews legal and ethical issues in the care of persons with dementing illness and shows how clinicians and caregivers how to mobilize community resources. Extensive reference lists round out each chapter. The book concludes with 11 assessment guides and rating scales and an index. Now more than ever, there is hope that advances in understanding dementing illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease will lead to their effective treatment, and ultimately to their prevention. Until then, clinicians, families, and society will continue to be faced with the challenges posed by these illnesses -- making this book a "must read" for physicians and other health care professionals, whether in training, in practice, or engaged in clinical research. |
From inside the book
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... brain cells and brain regions ; avenues for preventing or reversing this ag- gregation are being explored . Studies identifying causal or risk - factor genes give us powerful clues to the nature of the brain processes that first go awry ...
... brain are not up to making quick deci- sions , such as a speeding car trying to cut around me - or a need to push some crucial button on the dashboard - which takes a minute or two to find . In that minute the oncoming car has hit me ...
... brain anatomy or physiology . Organic disorders were differentiated from functional disorders , in which no alteration in brain anatomy or physiology had been demonstrated or was thought to occur . It is now clear that any mental ...
... brain damage , calling the former the insanities and the latter varieties of imbecility . The two categories of imbecility were acquired imbecility ( de- mentia ) and congenital ( ordinary ) imbecility . The dementia category in- cluded ...
... brain injury , Parkinson's disease , Huntington's disease , Pick's disease , Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease , normal- pressure hydrocephalus , hypothyroidism , brain tumor , or vitamin B12 deficiency ) . Substance - Induced Persisting ...