Alzheimer's & Memory Disorders
Memory loss can occur with aging, but dementia refers to extreme changes in memory, attention, concentration, language and organizational abilities. The forms and types of dementia vary and include Alzheimer’s disease, lewy body disease and frontotemporal dementia (Pick's disease).
Alzheimer's & Memory Disorder Treatment at UVA Health
Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia, is a brain disorder that worsens over time. It can cause the loss of thinking skills such as memory, judgment and language.
Because dementia is related to a variety of other conditions, it's important that you receive an accurate diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
We diagnose memory disorders with a neurological exam. You may also need imaging, such as an MRI and/or PET scan.
We bring together many different types of experts to ensure you receive the best care, including specialists in:
How Collaboration Played a Role in Major Discovery
The Kipnis Lab at UVA, led by Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, has earned its fair share of publicity for the major discovery that the brain has a direct connection to the immune system.
We discovered a network of vessels in the covering of the brain,
called the meninges, and these vessels are lymphatic vessels in
nature. They are unique lymphatics, but they are bona fide lymphatics.
Research advances medicine. Research pioneers treatment. Research
pursues cures. Research improves patient care. Research thrives at
UVA.
The idea of the Central Nervous System, of the CNS, does not have
lymphatic vasculature, which is kind of true because inside the brain,
we do not have vessels per se, but the idea was that, well how does
the brain drain, and we don't even understand how the drainage, how
the cleaning of the brain is occurring.
What we discovered is a lymphatic vasculature in the brain within the
Meninges layer. This lymphatic system functions by draining cerebral
spinal fluid, which washes the brain and removes all the toxins. The
beauty of this discovery is potentially, in the future, they may serve
as therapeutical targets for disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Dementia,
and even Autism. Now that we have a physical structure to work with,
we can make it work more efficiently.
So collaboration is a major thing because we all have our own
specialties, like we're good at something or we're interested in one
particular question scientifically, but when you start talking with
people that are outside of the field and outside of the things you
normally do, they're going to come up with ideas, they're going to
come up with techniques that you can apply to your own system, and
that's going to bring the research forward. We are a neuroscience
lab, so we are interested in the brain, and years ago when we started
to see those lymphatic, we were not a vascular biology lab, and so
being able to interact with people that knew vascular biology helped
us drive the discovery forward.
UVA is one of the most collaborative places that I've experienced,
that I've seen. This is really, this is like family. You can knock on
people's doors and get stuff going. Without the collaborative spirit
of UVA, it wouldn't be possible.
Memory Disorders We Treat
Memory & Aging Disorders Resources
Learn More About Memory Loss
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Lewy Body Dementia Association
- The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
- Virginia Alzheimer’s Commission AlzPossible Initiative