189 Virgin Olive Oil Benefits 16.1. Cognitive decline associated with age, cognitive impairment, and dementia “We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life’s morning; for what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie.” C. G. Jung. Fortunately, ageing carries with itself the serenity and wisdom needed to face the changes which occur at the sunset of our lives. Such changes affect the performance of most of our organs and the brain is not alien to this phenomenon. Senescence impairs mental agility, memory, and principally the capacity to perform simultaneous tasks. It is crucial, however, to distinguish between age-associated normal changes and true cognitive decline which can be defined as a decay in cognitive performance far beyond that expected for normal ageing. When such a decline interferes with daily activities it is called dementia. Both cognitive decline and dementia are manifestations of a set of nervous system conditions known as neurodegenerative diseases. Within this group, the most frequent and well-known are Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia, and a mixed dementia type combining traits of both diseases. In fact, this last condition has become increasingly relevant in recent years when most AD patients also present typical features of vascular dementia. 16.2. What alternatives do we currently have for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline and dementia? Investigators are attempting to identify the causes of emerging diseases in order to develop treatments to prevent/eradicate these conditions. For instance, the excellent research which permitted an early identification of the SARS-Cov-2 responsible for the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the concomitant vaccination development. Unfortunately, the ultimate cause for most neurodegenerative diseases is as yet unknown, because the mechanisms involved are multi-causal which hinders their identification, and there is at present no curative treatment. Multiple factors are considered to be involved in the genesis and development of neurodegenerative diseases including genetic factors (e.g.,. ApoE4 in AD) and en-
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