Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali - Mimicking Dementia: What is Functional Cognitive Disorder?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.

The blog discusses Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD), a condition that mimics dementia due to overlapping clinical symptoms such as cognitive impairment. While FCD shares similarities with dementia, including changes in memory and thinking, a key difference is that FCD is not degenerative. Unlike dementia, where brain cells are progressively lost, FCD involves dysfunction in how brain cells function and communicate. Diagnosis of FCD is complex, as it can sometimes be mistaken for dementia, but it should be based on identifying unique clinical features, such as internal inconsistency in cognitive performance. Improving diagnostic specificity is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment for those with non-disease-related cognitive impairments like FCD​

Find the original text, and narration here on our website.

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-mimicking-dementia-what-is-functional-cognitive-disorder/

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Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali is a Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Teesside University & Affiliate Researcher at Glasgow University. In addition to teaching, Kamar is exploring how neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury contributes to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases that lead to dementia. Having first pursued a career as an NHS Psychologist, Kamar went back to University in Durham to look at rodent behavioural tasks to completed her PhD, and then worked as a regional Programme Manager for NC3Rs.

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This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

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