While many symptoms of dementia are specific to the affected area of the brain, common signs include difficulty in recall and verbal expression; lack of impulse and mood control; and memory loss, reports WebMD. Individuals may neglect personal hygiene and display agitated or aggressive behaviors.
Lewy body dementia often causes very detailed visual hallucinations and frequent falling in afflicted individuals, states WebMD. Personality changes and odd behavior, such as outbursts of rude or sexually explicit speech, are often the first signs of frontotemporal dementia. Individuals may display apathy toward others or expose themselves. There may be a sudden increase in overeating and repetitive, compulsive behaviors, according to Mayo Clinic.
In a type of frontotemporal dementia known as primary progressive aphasia, individuals lose the ability to understand written and spoken words, explains Mayo Clinic. Semantic dementia manifests in the use of speech irrelevant to the subject being discussed, while logopenic phonological aphasia is demonstrated in very slow speech patterns. Some types of frontotemporal dementia involve movement-related symptoms, such as poor coordination, muscle weakness, spasms or rigidity and the inability to swallow.
Vascular dementia symptoms can occur suddenly after a stroke or mini-stroke, or they can appear gradually as in cases of Alzheimer’s disease, notes Mayo Clinic. Symptoms often include difficulty in concentrating and organizing thoughts and actions, reduced analytical abilities, depression and urinary symptoms such as increased urges or incontinence.
