Cognitive functions, otherwise known as cognitive processes, serve to create and modify knowledge about the environment, and this is what models our behaviour.
Table of contents:
- Cognitive functions
- Cognitive impairment
- Dementia processes
- Mental illnesses
- Disorders of consciousness
Cognitive functions
Include, but are not limited to, areas such as memory, attention, speech, perception and more complex processes such as abstract thinking, performing calculations, making decisions, forming concepts, formulating judgements and performing complex purposeful movements.
Cognitive impairment
Cognitive impairment reflects central nervous system pathology at both the structural and functional level. The main categories of factors uniquely associated with cognitive impairment include disorders of consciousness, dementing processes and mental illness.
Dementing processes
Dementia is an acquired, irreversible and continuously progressive disease in which both basic and complex cognitive functions are impaired. Patients are characteristically affected by deterioration of memory, language processes, thinking, emotional state and personality changes that gradually lead to a deterioration of the patient's overall social and self-care functioning.
Among the degenerative brain conditions where cognitive impairment is most common are:
- alzheimer's disease,
- frontotemporal dementia,
- dementia in Parkinson's disease,
- corticobasal atrophy,
- vascular dementia,
- huntington's disease.
Cognitive impairment, photo: panthermedia
Mental illnesses
Cognitive dysfunction is observed in most mental illnesses in which there are functional or structural changes to the central nervous system. The type of impaired function depends on the disease present, unlike in dementia processes, where a similar or even the same set of cognitive impairments is inherent in each of the diseases mentioned above.
In affective disorders, mainly working memory and executive functions are impaired, while in schizophrenia the dysfunction may involve multiple cognitive areas and, unlike in affective disorders, is much more strongly expressed and often leads to impairment of general intellectual performance already at an early stage of the disease.
In bipolar affective disorder, single area dysfunctions are predominantly present at the outset and overall intellectual performance remains normal.
Disorders of consciousness
Disorders of consciousness are characterised by disturbances of consciousness and changes in cognitive functioning. Risk factors for their occurrence are mainly old age and the often associated immobilisation, malnutrition, dehydration, catheterisation and taking a lot of medication. In addition, risk factors include a number of somatic diseases, infections, trauma, severe pain, surgery, alcohol consumption and renal dysfunction.
The course of the disorder of consciousness is fluctuating, with periods of improvement.
Cognitive dysfunction is mainly affected in this case:
- impaired logical thinking,
- problems with speaking and understanding speech,
- disturbances of visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile perception,
- problems with emotions, usually anxiety, restlessness and aggression,
- selectivity and attention deficit disorder,
- disorders of orientation concerning place, time, situation and own person.
