Three early warning signs of dementia that have nothing to do with memory

Key Points:

• Dementia, affecting 7 million Americans, is commonly associated with memory loss but includes over 100 subtypes with varied early symptoms beyond forgetfulness, such as changes in judgment and personality.
• Risky decision-making, including impulsive financial behaviors, can be an early sign of dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which affects the brain regions responsible for judgment and planning before memory declines.
• Social withdrawal may occur due to difficulty communicating caused by brain atrophy in language areas, as well as embarrassment from memory lapses; loneliness itself is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia.
• Vision problems can also signal early dementia, especially in Lewy body dementia and posterior cortical atrophy, where damage to brain regions processing visual information leads to hallucinations and impaired spatial awareness.
• The number of Americans with dementia is expected to nearly double by 2050, highlighting the importance of recognizing these subtle early signs to enable timely diagnosis and intervention.