Which of the following are signs and symptoms that can be observed in dementia?

• A. Agnosia
• B. All of the above
• C. Aphasia
• D. Apraxia

Answer: (B)

Dementia can affect recognition, language, and the ability to perform familiar actions. Agnosia is when someone cannot recognize objects or familiar people despite functioning senses. Aphasia is trouble with speaking or understanding language, or naming things. Apraxia is the loss of the ability to plan and carry out learned movements, such as brushing teeth or buttoning a shirt, even though strength and coordination are good. Because dementia involves degeneration in multiple brain areas, these signs can appear as the disease progresses, sometimes together and sometimes separately. So a person with dementia may display agnosia, aphasia, or apraxia, or any combination of them.