Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias change the way people remember, think, and act. These diseases can be devastating for the individuals who have them and for their families and caregivers. Taking action against Alzheimer’s and related dementias is a priority for the federal government.

The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), signed into law in January 2011, called for a coordinated national plan to accelerate research and improve care and services for people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their families.

As the economic costs of care continue to climb — along with costs associated with loss of independence and quality of life — we are more driven than ever to discover, develop, disseminate, and implement solutions that will improve the lives of those with dementia, their caregivers, and their communities.

Prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025

Optimize care quality and efficiency

Expand supports for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families

Enhance public awareness and engagement

Track progress and drive improvement

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death for Americans. In 2017, it accounted for an estimated 120,000 deaths.

An analysis conducted by NIH-supported researchers found that total social costs from health care and caregiving spending for a person with probable dementia in the last five years of life was an estimated $287,000, compared with $175,000 for an individual with heart disease and $173,000 for someone with cancer.

Agencies across the federal government support efforts to carry out the National Plan.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of Institutes, Centers, and Offices that conduct and fund research into all aspects of human health. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) leads NIH’s efforts in clinical, behavioral, and social research in Alzheimer’s and related dementias through efforts aimed at finding ways to treat and ultimately prevent the disorder. NIA collaborates closely with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which manages a research portfolio targeting Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias. NIA and NINDS work with Institutes and Centers across NIH to fund related projects. NIH also collaborates with the Department of Veterans Affairs to leverage health data from millions of older veterans to contribute to Alzheimer’s research.

NIH-funded research is conducted both in NIH laboratories and at institutions and small businesses around the country. A cornerstone of NIH’s Alzheimer’s research is a group of more than 30 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers across the U.S. These centers conduct research to advance scientific discoveries, provide research resources for the broader research community, and work to translate research advances into improved diagnosis, treatment, and care. NIA also supports several large infrastructure programs designed to support drug development, scientific collaboration, data sharing, and clinical research.

In addition, NIA and NINDS have announced the development of a groundbreaking new research center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research (CARD) will bring together scientists from multiple NIH Institutes and Centers to support basic, translational, and clinical research on Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The center’s efforts will complement and enhance the work of thousands of researchers working across the globe to find a treatment or cure for these diseases.

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. These functions include memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management, and the ability to focus and pay attention. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.

While dementia is more common as people grow older (up to half of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia), it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia. One type of dementia, frontotemporal disorders, is more common in middle-aged than older adults.

The causes of dementia can vary, depending on the types of brain changes that may be taking place. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in older adults. Other dementias include Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal disorders, and vascular dementia. It is common for people to have mixed dementia—a combination of two or more types of dementia. For example, some people have both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

What are the Different Types of Dementia?

Hispanic man with dementia sitting in a parkVarious disorders and factors contribute to the development of dementia. Neurodegenerative disorders result in a progressive and irreversible loss of neurons and brain functioning. Currently, there are no cures for these types of disorders. They include:

Alzheimer’s disease

Frontotemporal disorders

Lewy body dementia

Other types of progressive brain disease include:

Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia

Mixed dementia, a combination of two or more types of dementia

Other conditions that cause dementia-like symptoms can be halted or even reversed with treatment. For example, normal pressure hydrocephalus, an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, often resolves with treatment.

In addition, certain medical conditions can cause serious memory problems that resemble dementia. These problems should go away once the conditions are treated. These conditions include:

Side effects of certain medicines

Emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, or depression

Certain vitamin deficiencies

Drinking too much alcohol

Blood clots, tumors, or infections in the brain

Delirium

Head injury, such as a concussion from a fall or accident

Thyroid, kidney, or liver problems

Doctors have identified many other conditions that can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms. These conditions include:

Argyrophilic grain disease, a common, late-onset degenerative disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disorder

Huntington’s disease, an inherited, progressive brain disease

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated traumatic brain injury

HIV-associated dementia (HAD)

The overlap in symptoms of various dementias can make it hard to get an accurate diagnosis. But a proper diagnosis is important to get the right treatment. Seek help from a neurologist—a doctor who specializes in disorders of the brain and nervous system—or other medical specialist who knows about dementia.

To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying treatable condition such as abnormal thyroid function, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or a vitamin deficiency that may relate to cognitive difficulties. Early detection of symptoms is important, as some causes can be treated. In many cases, the specific type of dementia a person has may not be confirmed until after the person has died and the brain is examined.