Psychiatric evaluation: Your doctor will ask questions about your mood and sense of well-being to see if depression or another mental health condition might be causing symptoms of dementia.
#TEST YOUR MEMORY PICTURES SERIES#
CT (computerized tomography) scan: Your doctor will take a series of X-rays and put them together to make a more complete picture.They also can help rule out other problems like bleeding, a stroke, or a brain tumor: In addition a regular blood test can find problems such as a lack of certain vitamins or a thyroid issue, which can affect how your brain works.īrain scans: Your doctor may use one or more of these to get a closer look at your brain and how it’s working. The presence or absence helps determine the probability of whether an imaging study (like a PET scan) can detect plaques in the brain, which indicate a possible Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Lab tests: A new test called a Precivity AD test looks at the amounts of proteins such as beta amyloid and Apo E in blood. To check your reflexes, your doctor may tap a small rubber hammer against parts of your body and watch how you respond. To do this, they might ask you to push or pull their hands using your arms or to stand with your eyes closed and touch your nose. Neurological tests: Your doctor will test your balance, reflexes, eye movements, and see how well your senses work. They also might ask you to make easy calculations, such as counting backward from 100 by seven. They focus on things like memory, counting, reasoning, and language skills.įor example, your doctor might ask you to draw a clock and mark the hands at a specific time, or give you a short list of words and ask you to remember and repeat them. You may have several of the following, then your doctor will put all the information together to make a diagnosis.Ĭognitive tests: These measure your ability to think. There’s no single test that will tell your doctor if you have dementia. They’ll ask someone close to you, like a friend or family member, those same questions, too, because people with dementia aren’t always aware of their condition. Do you have any other medical problems, or are you taking any medications?.Have you noticed changes in behavior or personality?.Your primary care doctor probably will start with a physical exam and ask questions about your medical history and other things like: A geriatrician, who specializes in the care of older adults.A psychologist or neuropsychologist, who specializes in memory and mental functions.A psychiatrist or another mental health specialist.A neurologist, who specializes in the brain and nervous system.Your primary care doctor might work with you to figure out what’s behind your symptoms, or they might refer you to one or more of these doctors for certain tests: And it gives you more time to build a good relationship with doctors and caregivers.
It can make planning for the future and decisions about health care, finances, living options, and legal matters easier, too. Some symptoms of dementia can be treated with medication or physical therapy, so it can be helpful to find out what’s causing them sooner rather than later.
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