Cognitive impairment and Dementia
The cases of dementia are rapidly increasing worldwide: there are an estimated 10 million new cases of dementia each year.
To slow this trend, at the Istituto di Neuroscienze we offer a multitude of therapeutic programs that are able not only of limiting the decline, but also of "turning back" time and increase the cognitive performance.
We live in a world that constantly asks us to learn new things, new procedures, and to remember them. This system is constantly challenging us.
When we talk about dementia, we refer to the diagnosis of Mild or Moderate Cognitive Disorder (APA, 2013), characterized by the decline of even only one of the following cognitive functions:
Attention;
Learning;
Memory;
Language;
Motor Perception;
Social Intelligence.
This disorder may not interfere with the patient's usual social and occupational activities.
➜ It is the person himself who realizes that his performance has deteriorated.
Scientists debate whether, at this stage, one can already speak of disorder or disease, but what is certain is that the sooner one intervenes, the better the evolution will be: so better to prevent the worst than to wait resignedly!
The first symptoms may seem insignificant: slight forgetfulness, difficulty finding words, forgetting about objects or tools used daily for a long time, the need to write down everything. Fortunately, these signs do not always evolve into Alzheimer's Disease, but it is true that those with these symptoms are at greater risk.
The first signs of change show up slowly without particular events, after menopause, or after an illness, surgery, or medical treatment.
The onset of actual dementia is not infrequently the correlate of another disease: diabetes, hypertension, being overweight, excess fat in the blood, or even chronic constipation are some of the most frequent examples.
Often this perception is accompanied by anxiety or increased irritability: factors that increase the problem.
The first thing to do is to make an assessment that defines whether there is anything abnormal and how serious it is. Instead, this assessment is often avoided, for fear of a scary judgment or because someone convinces us that "it's age, nothing can be done about it": this is not true!
There are many things that can be done, not only slowing the decline
You can indeed "bring back" your time.
What can be done? ↓
Define
the diagnosis
Evaluate
the changes
Track
the situation over time
The Diagnosis
➜ Define which areas of functioning are involved and in what way, define the specific type of dementia or define whether it is another disorder.
The brain is a structure that generates new neurons throughout life, but it may need some help in that: today, brain plasticity can be stimulated by magnetic, electrical, or light-derived energy.
Therapies
The intervention is decided on the basis of individual assessments:
Pharmacological Therapy;
Neuromodulation therapy;
Neutraceutical;
Verbal and augmentative communication treatment;
Cognitive Intervention;
Family support services.
These treatments should be followed by reevaluation visits and follow-up recalls.
Neuromodulation Therapies
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
The different types of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) represent non-invasive and non-pharmacological therapies that use magnetic field to stimulate or inhibit specific brain areas, proving to be highly effective for the treatment of many disorders, including Resistant Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS)
tDCS is a completely painless neuromodulation therapy that is particularly suitable for children because of the high degree of freedom of movement it allows, used in numerous treatment and rehabilitation settings.
Photo-Bio-Modulation (PBM)
The latest technology for treating the Central Nervous System and particularly suitable for children, which uses increased cerebral blood flow to stimulate brain metabolism and promote neuroplasticity processes.
The latest technology for treating the Central Nervous System and particularly suitable for children, which uses increased cerebral blood flow to stimulate brain metabolism and promote neuroplasticity processes.
Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) activates the nerve that connects several neurophysiological pathways that regulate neuroinflammation processes, enabling the improvement of essential body functions.
Cognitive Enhancement: a program to increase cognitive performance
The same program may be indicated for:
The need to learn a new language or procedure
The desire to optimize learning a new skill
The resumption of study after a period of intellectual inactivity
When extraordinary performance is required
After an infectious or long-term illness, prolonged antibiotic or chemotherapy treatment
We are at the beginning of a new era, the transition from drug chemistry to electrical stimulation as predicted by Josef Parvizi, director of the Cognitive Electrophysiology program at Stanford: "The language of the brain is a combination of chemistry and electricity. So far in trying to treat diseases of the brain, the chemical approach, through drugs, has been preferred. But the cost to the rest of the body has been high. Let's take epilepsy. If we take a kilogram of pills, 900 grams will end up in the liver, pancreas, bones, and only 100 grams will reach the target organ, which is the brain. But 99 grams will go to cognitive areas that have nothing to do with epilepsy, giving blurred vision, feeling faint, exhaustion. Just one gram will affect the neurons responsible for the disease. This is a brutal approach, which must be overcome. With more targeted drugs. But also, if necessary, with Neuromodulation Therapies."
Magnetic, electrical or simply specific photon energy to promote neuroplasticity: a new reality.