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Pick's disease   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Lobar sclerosis; Circumscribed brain atrophy;Fronto-temporal dementia Arnold Pick's disease; Cerebral atrophy

Definition:

A disorder involving deterioration in mental function caused by disease-related changes in brain tissue, including shrinking of the tissues of the brain and the presence of abnormal bodies (Pick's bodies) in the nerve cells of the affected areas of the brain.

Causes and Risks

Pick's disease is a rare disorder similar to senile dementia/Alzheimer's type. It affects about 1 out of 100,000 people. It affects both sexes, but it is more common in women than men. It may occur as early as 20 years old, but usually begins between ages 40 to 60. The average age of onset is 54 years.

The onset is usually slow and insidious. The disorder involves shrinking of the tissues (atrophy) of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. The neurons (nerve cells) in the affected areas contain abnormal material (Pick's bodies). There are no plaques but there are tangles made of tau protein. The exact cause is unknown.

The symptoms are similar to senile dementia/Alzheimer's type, with aphasia (loss of language abilities), agnosia (loss of ability to recognize objects or people), and apraxia (loss of skilled movement abilities). Behavioral changes are prominent with loss of inhibition and change in personality as opposed to Alzheimer's Disease where memory loss is the primary feature.

Risk factors may include a having a personal or family history of Pick's disease or senile dementia, though the genetic basis of the disease has not yet been determined.

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