Down Presymptomatic View of Dementia Characteristics

• Main Authors: Mohammad Amin Joshaghanian, Sassan Mohammadi, Zohreh Gholizadeh Ghozloujeh, Mehrdad Farahani, Kurosh Mojtabavi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences 2020-01-01
• Series: International Clinical Neuroscience Journal
• Subjects: down syndrome (ds); dementia; alzheimer’s disease; cognitive deficits; neurodegeneration
• Online Access: http://journals.sbmu.ac.ir/Neuroscience/article/download/27304/1

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by complete or segmental chromosome 21 trisomy that results in neurodegeneration and progressive intellectual disability. Abnormal function in the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus are the main reasons for cognitive deficits in DS that result in impaired cognitive function, delayed speech and language, learning and memory disability, and behavioral and emotional disorders. There is no specific treatment for DS, and our understanding of the mechanisms of the disorder is incomplete and causes to hamper the development of effective therapies regarding the development of neuropathology and memory loss in DS. Here, we review the literature on cognitive functioning, unique characteristics, environmental considerations, and recent findings on Alzheimer’s disease in DS.