Is PSP like 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.

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.

Do people with PSP understand?

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.

How quickly 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.

How long does the last stage of PSP last?

End Stage. This is the end-of-life stage, and can last six to eight weeks. The patient will lose all or most consciousness and have severe disabilities. They will also be susceptible to acute infection.

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

What are final stages of PSP?

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.

What is the 4th stage of PSP disease?

Advanced stage: In the advanced stage of PSP, individuals may become wheelchair-bound and require assistance with daily activities such as eating, dressing, and bathing. Symptoms such as rigidity, spasticity, and involuntary movements become more severe.

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.

Is there pain with PSP?

Pain can be present as a direct result of PSP, or as part of any other conditions that you are experiencing.

What triggers 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.

Do people with PSP 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.

Why do people with PSP fall?

Falls are central to progressive supranuclear palsy presentation and diagnosis. Indirect locomotor and pedunculopontine nucleus dysfunction are thought to be the neural substrate of falls in this condition. Attempts to measure and prevent falls, by medical and nonmedical means, are currently limited.

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 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.

Is PSP a frontal lobe dementia?

Pathology. Like all FTD disorders, PSP is associated with degeneration of the brain's frontal and temporal lobes.

Is PSP worse than Parkinson's?

Progressive supranuclear palsy is rare. It may be easily mistaken for Parkinson disease, which is much more common and has similar symptoms. But with PSP, speech and difficulty swallowing are usually affected more significantly than with Parkinson disease.

Is PSP a terminal illness?

The life span from diagnosis is anywhere from a few years to seven years. Of course, some people live longer than seven years.

Can you drive if you have PSP?

Loss of strength, slower reaction time, lack of concentration, vision problems may arise. Driving can become more hazardous. If members of your family suggest that you should stop driving you should take heed.

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.

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.

What are the levels of PSP?

What celebrities have 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.

Can stress cause progressive supranuclear palsy?

Our findings suggest that high exposure to highly stressful events may be associated with the development of PSP.

How rare is supranuclear palsy?

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare brain disorder that causes dementia and problems with walking and balance. About 20,000 Americans — or one in every 100,000 people over age 60 — have PSP.