Is PSP a form of dementia?

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a frontotemporal dementia. It is characterised by difficulties with balance, movement, vision, speech and swallowing. It is caused by progressive damage to the cells in the brain that control eye movements.

Is PSP similar to dementia?

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a condition that causes both dementia and problems with movement. It is a progressive condition that mainly affects people aged over 60. The word 'supranuclear' refers to the parts of the brain just above the nerve cells that control eye movement.

How long can a person live with progressive supranuclear palsy?

PSP typically progresses to death in 5 to 7 years,¹ with Richardson syndrome having the fastest rate of progression.

What is the main cause of PSP?

What causes PSP? PSP occurs when brain cells in certain parts of the brain are damaged as a result of a build-up of a protein called tau. Tau occurs naturally in the brain and is usually broken down before it reaches high levels. In people with PSP, it isn't broken down properly and forms harmful clumps in brain cells.

Is PSP a form of frontotemporal dementia?

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) belongs to the category of FTD disorders that primarily affect movement. Some symptoms of both PSP and corticobasal syndrome — another FTD disorder associated with a decline in motor function — resemble those often seen in people with Parkinson's disease.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy - Overview, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments, and Prognosis

How fast does PSP progress?

PSP typically begins in late middle age and worsens over time, with severe disability occurring within three to five years of onset. The disease can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, choking, head injury, and fractures.

What are the 4 stages of PSP?

What happens in the last stages of PSP?

Advanced stages

As PSP progresses to an advanced stage, people with the condition normally begin to experience increasing difficulties controlling the muscles of their mouth, throat and tongue. Speech may become increasingly slow and slurred, making it harder to understand.

Does PSP run in families?

Most cases of progressive supranuclear palsy are sporadic, which means they occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. However, some people with this disorder have had family members with related conditions, such as parkinsonism and a loss of intellectual functions (dementia).

What are the last stages of progressive supranuclear palsy?

The final stages of PSP are usually dominated by an increasingly severe dysarthria and dysphagia. These features are usually described as being part of a pseudo-bulbar palsy, as brisk jaw and facial jerks may be present.

Is PSP a horrible disease?

Although not all patients suffer all symptoms, these include a gradual loss of balance and mobility, of speech, and even of the ability to swallow. Seldom fatal in itself, PSP can often lead to death as a result of falls or choking.

What famous people died of progressive supranuclear palsy?

PSP is one of several progressive prime-of-life diseases that has claimed the lives of actors Robin Williams and Dudley Moore, and billionaire financier Richard Rainwater.

Do PSP patients sleep a lot?

Patients with PSP may have significant sleep pattern disruptions because the disease affects some neural circuitries that are involved in sleep processing. They may suffer from insomnia, including difficulties with falling and staying asleep.

What personality changes occur with PSP?

PSP patients typically have deficits in cognitive functioning, difficulties with most daily activities, and present with notable behavioral disturbances—particularly apathy, impulsivity, and irritability.

What are the traits of PSP?

As originally described, PSP was characterized by progressive supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, gait disorder and postural instability, dysarthria, dysphagia, rigidity, and frontal cognitive disturbance [1].

How can I help someone with PSP?

Physical therapy and occupational therapy, to improve balance. Facial exercises, talking keyboards, gait and balance training also can help with many of the symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy.

What is the average age of onset for PSP?

According to some reports, PSP is estimated to affect as many as 5-17 in 100,000 people, but recent autopsy studies found PSP pathology in 2-6% of elderly people that had no diagnosis of PSP before death. The onset of this disorder occurs between 45 and 75 years of age, with the average age of onset at about 63 years.

Are there stages to PSP?

While not everyone with PSP experiences the same symptoms or progression, there are generally four recognized stages of PSP: Early stage: In the early stage of PSP, individuals may experience symptoms such as difficulty with balance and coordination, changes in gait, and problems with eye movement.

What are the first signs of PSP?

What celebrity has PSP?

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, singer Linda Ronstadt discusses how progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has forced her to retire and how she has come to accept her diagnosis.

How does PSP cause death?

Eventually, swallowing food, and particularly liquids, can be poorly coordinated, leading to the leakage of food into the windpipe (dysphagia). This can result in pneumonia, the most common cause of death in PSP.

What is the prognosis for progressive supranuclear palsy in the elderly?

Progressive supranuclear palsy worsens over time and can lead to life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia and swallowing problems. There's no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy, so treatment focuses on managing the signs and symptoms.

Why do PSP patients fall?

Nocturia in PSP relates to bladder instability and can also contribute to falls, especially if patients are trying to reach the bathroom or commode at night in low light, unattended, and without time to adjust to postural and thermal shifts on getting out of bed.

Do people with PSP go blind?

Involuntary eye closure is common in PSP. It can be mild and irritating or severe with functional blindness.

Is PSP caused by stress?

Stress is associated with the development of neurofibrillary tangles via glucocorticoids. Hypertension is associated with an increased risk for PSP by inducing the aggravation of tau pathology and neuroinflammation.