Cognitive declineorcognitive impairmentis a reduction in the ability toremember, reason, learn, and pay attention.
Some healthcare providers categorize cognitive decline into four stages based on the symptom severity.
Very Mild Cognitive Decline
There are no reported signs in the earliest stages of cognitive decline.
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However, connections betweenneurons(brain cells) change and break down long before you notice symptoms.
Eventually, walking and motor abilities gradually deteriorate.
When Does Cognitive Decline Begin?
Yourbrainconstantly changes throughout your life, and some cognitive decline is expected after middle age.
Race or ethnicity can also affect how early your cognitive function begins to decline.
How Fast Does Cognitive Decline Happen?
Cognitive decline can develop rapidly or gradually, depending on the underlying cause.
Certain conditions can contribute to decline, with cognitive changes seen within weeks or months.
Examples are:
How to Slow Cognitive Decline
In most cases, cognitive decline is irreversible.
But there are things you could do todelay its progress.
This means addressing any underlying health factors and making lifestyle changes.
A healthcare provider will perform additional evaluations to get at the root causes of the issue.
Often, living with this condition means learning to adapt to it.
Adopting lifestyle changes and treating the underlying causes of cognitive decline can slow its progress.
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