What Is Dementia?
Dementia is a broad term that describes loss of memory, language, and thinking abilities. It often affects older adults. It's more than forgetfulness and is severe enough to interfere with daily life.
What Dementia Conditions Do We Treat?
Dementia is not a single disease. It is an umbrella term for several specific disorders.
We treat all types of dementia, including:
- Alzheimer's disease — Accounts for 60% to 80% of all dementia cases. People with Alzheimer's may have memory decline, confusion, and delusions.
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) — Affects one part of the brain and can cause personality and behavioral changes.
- Lewy body dementia — May cause movement and balance problems, daytime sleepiness, and confusion.
- Mixed dementia — More than one type of dementia may be present, especially in people over age 80. Sometimes symptoms overlap.
- Vascular dementia — About 10% of dementia cases happen after a stroke or other disruption of blood flow to the brain. Diabetes can cause harm to blood vessels and may also increase the risk for this type.
Who’s Eligible for Dementia and Cognitive Disorder Services?
You may be eligible for dementia and cognitive disorder care if you are experiencing symptoms of dementia, including:
- Behavior and personality changes.
- Cognitive problems.
- Communication problems.
- Confusion.
- Depression and other emotional disturbances.
- Impaired decision-making, reasoning, and judgment.
- Memory loss.
- Restlessness.
- Sleeplessness.
If you are experiencing dementia symptoms or already have a dementia diagnosis and need help managing your symptoms, schedule an appointment with a UPMC neurologist.
What Dementia and Cognitive Disorder Services Do We Offer?
UPMC's neurology experts provide comprehensive care for memory, mood, behavior, and cognitive problems that are related to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Diagnostic care
Neuropsychological testing
Our specialists offer a full range of neuropsychological and cognitive impairment tests to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and dementia, including tests for:
- Attention span.
- Language skills.
- Memory.
- Mood and emotions.
- Organizing skills.
- Planning skills.
- Reasoning skills.
- Speech skills.
Physical testing
We also offer a full range of physical tests that may be used to rule out other medical conditions or diagnose Alzheimer's disease or dementia, including:
- Blood or urine tests — Blood and urine tests can rule out other medical conditions that may cause dementia.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) — An EEG test uses electrodes attached to your scalp to record the electrical activity of your brain. For your convenience, our specialists perform diagnostic EEG tests in our office.
- Imaging tests — Your doctor may order imaging, specifically a PET scan, to check for problems.
- Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) — During a spinal tap, your neurologist will remove a sample of spinal fluid from your spinal canal to check for neurological conditions.
Dementia treatment
There's no cure for dementia. But the care team at UPMC may be able to slow the progress of the disease or manage the symptoms.
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes may help to improve some dementia symptoms. Your doctor may recommend:
- Increasing daytime exercise to improve sleep at night.
- Avoiding long naps.
- Staying away from caffeine and alcohol.
- Going to physical therapy to help with movement and balance problems.
Medications to treat dementia
Your doctor may prescribe:
- Drugs to slow down dementia — New medications target plaque in the brain. Removing the plaque may slow mental decline in people with Alzheimer's disease. This drug isn't a cure and will not reverse the damage that has already occurred.
- Drugs that treat cognitive symptoms of dementia — Cholinesterase inhibitors are drugs that help nerve cells in the brain talk to each other. They can help manage the symptoms of dementia but won't stop its progression.
- Drugs that help manage other symptoms of dementia — People with dementia often get agitated easily or have anxiety and sleep problems. Doctors may prescribe medications to treat these symptoms.
Clinical trials for dementia
Although today’s medications can’t cure dementia, researchers are studying how various drugs may be able to treat the root cause — not just slow the progress of the disease. Some drugs used to treat other diseases and conditions, such as cancer and high blood pressure, show promise in fighting dementia.
You may be eligible to participate in clinical research to help doctors better understand dementia and develop new therapies to treat the condition. Your doctor will let you know if you may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial.
What Can I Expect?
At UPMC, our neurology specialists provide expert diagnosis and manage memory, mood, behavior, and cognitive problems that are caused by Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Our neurologists and neuropsychologists will work together to perform a comprehensive assessment of several areas of brain function, including personality, memory, cognitive abilities, emotions, problem-solving, and reasoning.
After you receive the results of your assessment, your neurology team will work closely with you and your loved ones to develop a personalized care plan.
Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, our specialists use the latest medications and therapies to help patients and caregivers manage symptoms such as depression, behavioral problems, and sleeplessness.
Why Choose UPMC for Dementia and Cognitive Disorder Services?
When you choose UPMC for dementia and cognitive disorder care, you will receive:
- Multidisciplinary care — Our team of dementia experts will work with you and your loved ones to develop a customized treatment plan that optimizes your quality of life and reduces your risk of complications.
- Access to advanced clinical trials — Our team participates in national, multicenter clinical trials evaluating new treatment options, giving you the opportunity to contribute to research advancing dementia care.
- Seamless, ongoing treatment — If you are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, our team will develop a plan for your follow-up care, including ongoing symptom management and long-term care planning, as needed.
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2026-04-21
