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Dementia—a term that encompasses the diseases that cause cognitive decline—is a condition on the rise: Over 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, and Ese número almost doubles every twenty years. Although there is currently no cure for dementia, there are many benefits to catching early warning signs of the debilitating disease. These include access to treatment and clinical trials, as well the opportunity to make lifestyle adjustments that may help preserve cognitive function.

Because dementia affects your brain cells' ability to communicate with each other, familiar early warning signs of the disease include memory loss and confusion. People suffering from dementia may experience trouble speaking, such as using the wrong word for something or forgetting names. But mood changes are a lesser-known potential red flag for dementia. "When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior, and feelings can be affected," the Alzheimer's Association explains. Read on to find out what types of mood changes could be telling you that your brain is in danger.

Lea esto a continuación:If You Can't Remember These 4 Things, It Could Be an Early Alzheimer's Sign.

Feelings, not just behavior, are affected by damage to the brain cells. "Researchers have long known that depression and dementiair de la mano," according to Harvard Health. "Yet they've debated over whether the two conditions simply share common causes, or whether depression is an early sign of dementia."

Research now shows that both things are true, and that in addition, "depression late in life may indicate that changes have occurred in the brain that can make us more prone to developing dementia." M. Cornelia Cremens, MD, tells Harvard Health that older people may be in denial about depression, but that "ignoring sadness or dismissing it as a normal side effect of aging could allow potentially treatable memory issues to progress unchecked."

Becoming isolated or withdrawn, experiencing changes in appetite and sleep habits, having suicidal thoughts, and being agitated and irritable are all signs of depression that may be related to dementia.

We may associate moodiness with a mercurial disposition—one that goes from happy to sad to angry within a short time frame. But the absence of these moods can be concerning, as well. Apathy—defined as a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or enthusiasm—can be a subtle early warning sign of dementia.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

New research calls apathy the earliest psychiatric symptom of Alzheimer's, and reports that degeneration in a specific part of the brain (known as the nucleus accumbens) can result in apathy. These findings not only offer up a new early sign of dementia to look out for, but suggest that "disrupting this process could slow the progression of Alzheimer's-related dementia."

Apathy can be hard to diagnose. The symptom can't easily be assessed, and is often misdiagnosed because it's associated with other conditions, such as depression. According to the Alzheimer's Society, apathy as a symptom of dementia may manifest as a lack of interest in talking to people, losing the motivation to perform routine tasks, or seeming uninterested by new information.

"Sundowning" is the term for when people with cognitive decline experience heightened feelings of agitation, depression, and confusion in the late afternoon or evening.

The exact cause of sundowning is not known. "One possibility is that Alzheimer's-related brain changes can affect a person's 'biological clock,' llevando a confused sleep-wake cycles," according to the National Institute on Aging. "This may result in agitation and other sundowning behaviors." Other potential causes are fatigue, discomfort, depression, and boredom.

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With no known cure for dementia, and multiple symptoms to look out for, it's important to know that there are a lot of habits you can implement to decrease your risk of cognitive decline.

Algunosfactores de riesgo no se puede abordar, como la edad (su riesgo aumenta después de los 65 años), el género (las mujeres mayores de 80 años tienen un mayor riesgo de demencia) y etnia (algunos estudios muestran que también pueden haber un mayor riesgo en grupos étnicos negros). Pero algunas medidas preventivas sorprendentes pueden ayudar a reducir su riesgo de demencia.

Los estudios han demostrado que la mala salud oral es un factor relacionado con el deterioro cognitivo; Una rutina diaria recomendada incluyecepillado y hilo dental. E investigaciones recientes muestran queTener un animal acompañante Puede beneficiar su salud de varias maneras que incluyen protección contra el deterioro cognitivo.

Si usted o alguien que ama está experimentando cambios de humor que causan preocupación, hable con su médico. El diagnóstico temprano de la demencia permite a las personas buscar ayuda e incorporar hábitos saludables en sus estilos de vida que puedan aumentar la salud del cerebro y potencialmente agregar años de tiempo de calidad a sus vidas.

Lea esto a continuación:Si sigues diciendo esto, puede ser una señal de demencia, dicen los expertos.