Some changes in the ability to think are considered a normal part of the aging process. We develop many thinking abilities that appear to peak around age 30 and, on average, very subtly decline with age. These age-related declines are normal Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are broad terms that indicate that there is a decline in cognition greater than would be expected for that person’s age, education, or development.
Decline in Creativity
Creativity is one aspect of personality that is characterized by novel and appropriate (or relevant) ideas, processes, or objects. Creativity combines elements of emotion, planning, and sensory perception. Furthermore, creative expression can involve linguistic, graphic, and/or motor skills as well.
The decline in Executive Functions
The term executive functions refer to the higher-level cognitive skills you use to control and coordinate your other cognitive abilities and behaviors. The term is a business metaphor, suggesting that your executive functions are akin to the chief executive that monitors all of the different departments so that the company can move forward as efficiently and effectively as possible. How we organize our lives, how we plan, and how we then execute those plans are largely guided by our executive system.
Anatomy of Executive Deficits
Executive deficits have been associated with damage to the most forward areas of the frontal lobes (located just above your eyes), as well as the cortical (i.e., parietal lobes) and subcortical structures that connect to the frontal lobes. The executive system involves the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus. The frontal lobes are the last areas of the brain to fully develop. The frontal lobes typically account for about 40% of the human brain.
Damage to the executive system often leads to:
Depression and Anxiety Disorders
Depression occurs more often in women than men. Some differences in the manner in which the depressed mood manifests have been found based on sex and age. In men, it manifests often as tiredness, irritability, and anger. They may show more reckless behavior and abuse drugs and alcohol. They also tend to not recognize that they are depressed and fail to seek help. In women, depression tends to manifest as sadness, worthlessness, and guilt.
Depression in Children and Teens
In younger children, depression is more likely to manifest as school refusal, and anxiety when separated from their parents. Depressed teenagers tend to be irritable, sulky, and get into trouble in school. They also frequently have co-morbid anxiety, eating disorders, or substance abuse. Some people think that only adults become depressed. Children and adolescents can experience depression, and studies show that it is on the rise. More than one in 4 teens experience depression each year.
Symptoms & Gene List
- Getting lost in familiar places
- Repetitive questioning
- Odd or inappropriate behaviors
- Forgetfulness of recent events
- Repeated falls or loss of balance
- Personality changes
- The decline in planning and organization
- Changes in diet/eating habits
- Changes in hygiene
- Increased apathy
- Changes in language abilities, including comprehension
Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Restlessness, irritability
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed.
• Feeling or appearing depressed, sad, tearful, or irritable
• Not enjoying things as much as they used to
• Spending less time with friends or in after-school activities
• Changes in appetite and/or weight
• Sleeping more or less than usual
• Feeling tired or having less energy
• Feeling like everything is their fault or they are not good at anything
• Having more trouble concentrating
• Caring less about school or not doing as well in school
• Having thoughts of suicide or wanting to die
Altered level of consciousness
Disorientation/confusion
Mood disorders/refractory depression
Delusions/Hallucinations
Unexplained diminished cognitive or executive functioning
Psychosis
Self-injurious behavior
Aggression/irritability
Anxiety disorders/OCD
Schizophrenia
Personality disorders
Dissociative disorder
Paranoia
Catatonia
Dementia
Attention deficit disorder
Physical symptoms could include: movement disorders, ataxia, eye abnormalities, or hepatosplenomegaly
ABCD1 ADSL ALDH5A1 AMACR AMT AP1S1ARG1 ARSA ASL ASS1 ATP13A2 ATP7BBCKDHA BCKDHB BCKDK C19orf12 CA5A CBSCLN2 (TPP1) CLN3 CLN5 CLN6 CLN8 COASYCP CPS1 CTSD CYP27A1 DBH DBTDCAF17 DDC DLD FAH FTL FUCA1GALC GAMT GATM GCH1 GCSH GLAGLB1 GLDC GM2A GNS GSS HEXAHEXB HGSNAT HMGCL HPRT1 MAN2B1 MANBAMAOA MFSD8 MMACHC MTHFR MTR NAGLUNAGS NPC1 NPC2 OTC PAH PANK2PCCA PCCB PLA2G6 POLG PPT1 PRODHPSAP PTS QDPR SGSH SLC25A13 SLC25A15SLC52A1 SLC52A2 SLC52A3 SLC6A8 SLC7A7 SPRSUMF1 TBX1 TH WDR45 CTSF DNAJC5 GRN
Individuals who have inherited a pathogenic variant have a dramatically higher risk of developing disorders, and many of these disorders can be difficult to detect and treat. It is extremely helpful to identify these high-risk individuals so that additional screening, surveillance, and interventions can be started. These efforts can result in risk reduction and early diagnosis, which increases the chances of successful treatment and survival.
Our Lab is a College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified clinical diagnostic laboratory performing full-gene sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis using next-generation sequencing technology (NGS). Our sequence analysis covers clinically important regions of each gene, including coding exons and 10 to 20 base pairs of adjacent intronic sequences on either side of the coding exons in the transcript listed below, depending on the specific gene or test. In addition, the analysis covers select non-coding variants. Any variants that fall outside these regions are not analyzed. Any limitations in the analysis of these genes will be listed in the report. Contact client services with any questions. Based on validation study results, this assay achieves >99% analytical sensitivity and specificity for single nucleotide variants, insertions and deletions <15bp in length, and exon-level deletions and duplications.
