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Alzheimer's disease (AD), one form of dementia, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior.Memory impairment is a necessary feature for the diagnosis of this or any type of dementia. Change in one of the following areas must also be present: language, decision-making ability, judgment, attention, and other areas of mental function and personality.The rate of progression is different for each person. If AD develops rapidly, it is likely to continue to progress rapidly. If it has been slow to progress, it will likely continue on a slow course.
Review Date: 5/16/2006

Review Date: 10/13/2006

Dementia is a loss of brain function. It is not a single disease. Instead, dementia refers to a group of illnesses that involve memory, behavior, learning, and communicating problems. The problems are progressive, which means they slowly get worse.
Review Date: 5/10/2006

Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is the most common form of vascular dementia, which is a deterioration in mental function caused by strokes. "Multi-infarct" means that multiple areas in the brain have been injured due to a lack of blood.
Review Date: 4/28/2006

Pick's disease is a rare and irreversible form of dementia that is somewhat similar to Alzheimer's disease. However, Pick's disease tends to affect only certain areas of the brain, whereas Alzheimer's can affect any part.
Review Date: 11/1/2007