Mild memory loss could be a developmental symptom of dementia, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.
Previous theories have suggested that slight cognitive problems were associated with the aging process. However, researchers from the Rush University Medical Center have found that it may be a sign that a person is in the early stages of dementia.
For the 13-year study, the investigators enrolled more than 350 individuals, and monitored those who died from health complications associated with dementia, including stroke and irregular cerebral protein levels. The team then observed cognitive decline during the last four to five years of individuals’ lives.
The team discovered that those with pathologic lesions on their brains had a rapid memory decline during the last couple years of their lives. However, those with mild lesions and slight memory problems earlier in the study also had developed a rapid decline toward the end.
Robert Wilson, lead author of the study, stated that these findings suggest that “Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are the root cause of virtually all loss of cognition and memory in old age.”
Approximately 5.3 million Americans were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and the Alzheimers Association reports that it was the seventh leading cause of the death in 2009.