A colleague of mine refers to what he calls the 'hypothalamic' stage of dementia. The hypothalamus is situated at the base of the brain and helps coordinate appetite, the sleep-wake cycle, and regulation of weight. One sign Sign
In medicine a sign is what a physician finds by examining a patient. For example, a patient with the symptom of pain might have signs of a fast heart rate, a pale face, a clammy touch and tenderness. that the hypothalamus is involved (often in the moderate or later stage) is when a person with Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease
A neurological disease that affects memory and behaviour. It is characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. There is no known cause but genetics and lifestyle are thought to play a role. begins to stop eating (or even when they begin to lose weight, despite a good appetite and adequate intake). The fact that even people whose cognitive Cognitive
See cognition function (thinking, memory Memory
The ability to process information that requires attention, storage, and retrieval.) improves with drug treatment Drug treatment
See drug therapy have problems with appetite and weight control has helped convince me that treatment works (although it does not cure). In some, I see problems with appetite and weight loss emerge a few years after treatment with a cholinesterase Cholinesterase
An enzyme that breaks down acetyl choline into active parts that can be recycled. inhibitor, even though they only show signs of mild dementia. It seems that the drug holds them at their current level of cognition Cognition
The mental processes associated with knowing and understanding thoughts and perceptions about one's environment. and function, while 'underneath' the disease progresses.