Cognitive loss in the elderly

Abstract

ABSTRACT Brain ageing is an inevitable process, which can, however, be delayed with physical and mental exercises and healthy habits. It is caused mainly by neuronal death and the accumulation of certain substances, such as neurofibrillary tangles and beta-amyloid protein plaques, which are precursors of several types of dementias, as, for instance, Alzheimer's disease and Lewy's bodies dementia. In this article, the processes of brain ageing and the main types of dementia and their diagnosis in our environment are reviewed.