Causes of memory loss and impacts on behaviour and emotion

• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

  A brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries
• CTE causes the death of nerve cells in the brain known as degeneration
• CTE gets worse over time
• The only way to diagnose CTE is after death during an autopsy
• CTE is a rare disorder that is not yet well understood
• CTE doesn’t appear to be related to a single head injury

  It is related to repeated head injuries
• Factors contributing to CTE

  • Repeated head injuries
  • Contact sports
  • Military combat
• Experts are still trying to understand how repeated head injuries and other factors might contribute to the changes in the brain that result in CTE
• CTE has been found in the brains of people who play contact sports such as football
• CTE may occur in military members who were exposed to explosive blasts
• Symptoms of CTE


  Trouble with thinking and emotions<|>Physical problems<|>Other behaviours
• Symptoms of CTE are thought to develop years to decades after the head trauma occurs
• CTE can’t be diagnosed in life except in people with high-risk exposures
• Researchers are currently developing diagnostic biomarkers for CTE, but none has been validated yet
• Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome


  May be diagnosed when symptoms associated with CTE occur
• Possible symptoms of CTE

  • Cognitive impairment
  • Behavioural changes
  • Mood disorders
  • Motor symptoms
• Cognitive impairment symptoms


  • Trouble thinking
  • Memory loss
  • Problems with planning organisation and carrying out tasks
• Behavioural changes symptoms


  • Impulsive behaviour
  • Aggression
• Mood disorders symptoms


  • Depression or apathy
  • Emotional instability
  • Substance misuse
  • Suicidal thoughts or behaviour
• Motor symptoms


  • Problems with walking and balance
  • Parkinsonism
  • Motor neuron disease
• Alzheimer’s disease


  A brain disorder that gets worse over time
• Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by changes in the brain that lead to deposits of certain proteins
• Alzheimer’s disease causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to eventually die
• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia
• Dementia is a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behaviour and social skills
• These changes affect a person’s ability to function
• Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

  • Forgetting recent events or conversations
  • Serious memory problems
  • Less ability to perform everyday tasks
• Medicines can slow the progression of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
• No treatment cures Alzheimer's
• In advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, there is severe loss of brain function that can cause dehydration, malnutrition or infection
• These complications can result in death
• Brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease have trouble with memory
• Memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease persists and gets worse
• Over time, memory loss affects the ability to function at work or home
• Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease


  • Repeat statements or questions
  • Forget conversations or events
  • Misplace items
  • Get lost in familiar places
  • Forget names of family members and everyday objects
  • Trouble finding the right words
  • Changes in sleeping habits
  • Wandering
  • Loss of inhibitions
  • Delusions
• Thinking and reasoning symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease

  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Difficulty thinking about abstract concepts
  • Challenges managing finances and paying bills
• Making Judgements and Decisions symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease


  • Decline in ability to make sensible decisions
  • Poor choices in social settings
  • Difficulty responding to everyday problems
• Planning and performing familiar tasks symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease


  • Struggle with routine activities
  • Forgetting how to do basic tasks
• Changes in Personality and Behaviour symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease

  • Depression
  • Loss of interest in activities
  • Social withdrawal
  • Mood swings
  • Distrust in others
  • Anger or aggression
  • Changes in sleeping habits
  • Wandering
  • Loss of inhibitions
  • Delusions
• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS)


  Distinct but overlapping disorders that occur due to a deficiency of Thiamine (Vitamin B1)