Danger in the Air: Air Pollution and Cognitive Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Clean air is considered to be a basic requirement for human health and well-being. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between cognitive performance and ambient pollution exposure. METHODS: Studies were identified through a systematic search of online scientific databases, in addition to a manual search of the reference lists from the identified papers. RESULTS: Air pollution is a multifaceted toxic chemical mixture capable of assaulting the central nervous system. Despite being a relatively new area of investigation, overall, there is mounting evidence implicating adverse effects of air pollution on cognitive function in both adults and children. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent evidence showed that exposure to air pollution, specifically exposure to particulate matter, caused poor age-related cognitive performance. Living in areas with high levels of air pollution has been linked to markers of neuroinflammation and neuropathology that are associated with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease-like brain pathologies.

Personality and dementia.

Personality describes persistent human behavioral responses to broad classes of environmental stimuli. Change in personality may be an early sign of dementia. Our goal was to review scientific literature on the association between personality and dementia. Medline and Google Scholar searches were conducted for relevant articles, chapters, and books published since 1980. Search terms used included personality, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies. People with dementia commonly exhibit changes in personality that sometimes precede the other early clinical manifestations of the condition, such as cognitive impairment. Premorbid personality might be a determining factor so that caricature or exaggeration of original personality emerges as dementia progresses. Although it is generally accepted that these personality changes reflect the impact of progressive brain damage, there are several possible patterns of personality alterations with dementia. Early identification of personality modifications might assist with the timely diagnosis of dementia.

Understanding dementia in the sociocultural context: a review.

BACKGROUND: The perception of old age differs in different societies and cultures: in the Western societies, the loss of youth, multiple losses of functions and independence resulting in inability produce a social stigma. Dementia is common among the elderly, regardless of their ethnic background. In countries dominated by Western philosophical thought, the cognitive domain has been privileged over other mental domains. Knowledge of cultural factors is essential to an understanding of aging and dementia; studies are currently dominated by biomedical models that consider dementing disorders solely as a pathological entity caused by neuronal and neurotrasmitters loss, and focus on the individual without regard to sociocultural context. AIM: The purpose of this study is to explore how the phenomenon of dementia is perceived in ethnically diverse groups and cultures. METHODS: Medline and Google Scholar searches were conducted for relevant articles, chapters and books published before 2014. Search terms used included anthropology, culture, ethnic elderly and dementia. Publications found through this indexed search were reviewed for further relevant references. RESULTS: The experience of dementia is not universal, but is profoundly shaped by culture in which the demented person lives. Sociocultural conceptualization of the symptoms of dementing diseases remains obscure in many countries. CONCLUSION: Sociocultural conceptualization of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is of growing interest in shaping the interpretation of the symptoms of dementing diseases. To explore the intersection of culture with the expression of dementia may optimize the management of these complex and chronic conditions.

Sociopathic behavior and dementia.

The maintenance of appropriate social behavior is a very complex process with many contributing factors. Social and moral judgments rely on the proper functioning of neural circuits concerned with complex cognitive and emotional processes. Damage to these systems may lead to distinct social behavior abnormalities. When patients present with dysmoral behavior for the first time, as a change from a prior pervasive pattern of behavior, clinicians need to consider a possible, causative brain disorder. The aim is to explore sociopathy as a manifestation of dementia. We searched electronic databases and key journals for original research and review articles on sociopathy in demented patients using the search terms "sociopathy, acquired sociopathy, sociopathic behavior, dementia, and personality". In conclusion, dementia onset may be heralded by changes in personality including alteration in social interpersonal behavior, personal regulation, and empathy. The sociopathy of dementia differs from antisocial/psychopathic personality disorders.