Dementia and Neurocognitive Disability

Abstract

Dementia can be broadly defined as a decline in cognitive abilities in comparison with a previous level of performance. It is a clinical syndrome most often characterized by progressive deficits in several cognitive domains such as memory, language, and impairments in a person’s behavior and daily functional abilities. Dementia places considerable strain on patients and their relatives, who provide a large share of the required care and support. As the global population is aging, the burden of dementia has become a worldwide concern and will be further increasing over the next two decades. New pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions are urgently needed to address this huge challenge.