Have You Heard of

Dementia

Vascular dementia

Alternative therapies
Animals Are the Answer:
How to Best Treat Vascular Dementia
By: Erin Jackson
Independent Research II GT
Overview
Dementia & vascular dementia

Treatment

Primary research

Results

Final product
Dementia
Umbrella term

Reduced cognitive function

People assume memory loss

Vascular Dementia (VaD)
Caused by strokes & aneurysms

Different parts of brain

Symptoms vary

Harder to diagnose
Therapies
Pharmacologic

Nonpharmacologic/alternative

Experimental
Memantine
Pharmacologic therapy

Designed for AD

Blocks NMDA receptors (glutamate receptor)

Prevents overstimulation of brain cells

Side effects
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Pharmacologic therapy

Designed for AD

Prevents acetylcholinerase from working

Raises levels of acetylcholine

Helps cognitive function

Helps memory loss

Side effects
Animal Assisted Therapy
Alternative therapy

Uses trained animals

Improves a patients well being

Helps mood

Patients enjoy it

Improves cognitive function

Acupuncture
Alternative therapy

Ancient China

Uses needles

Corrects Qi imbalance
Music Therapy
Alternative therapy

Uses different genres

Diverse

Reminisce

Helps improve mood and symptoms

Aromatherapy
Alternative therapy

Essential oils

Massage or inhalation

Increases cognitive function

Stem Cell Therapy
Experimental therapy

Injects or uses stem cells

Helps to replace damaged cells

Promising

Helps improve brain function

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Experimental therapy

Elevated oxygen levels

Reactivates brain cells

Increases brain activity

Research Question & Hypothesis
What is the most effective treatment
option for VaD in older adults?

Older adults with vascular dementia will be

treated most effectively through animal
assisted therapy.
Primary Research
Meta analysis

Read & analyzed journal studies

Created a chart

Compared therapies

Conducted Interviews
Interviews
Dr. Marc Zisselman: Psychiatrist at
Sheppard Pratt

Dr. Conrad May: Psychiatrist at University of

Maryland Medical Center

Described treatments

Prefer alternative therapies

How to evaluate patients

Meta Analysis
Analyzed studies

At least one study for each therapy

Created chart based on specific categories

My Chart
My Meta Analysis
Results

Data from www.neurology.org & stroke.aha.journals.org

Results

Data from www.neurology.org & stroke.aha.journals.org

Results
Pharmacologic therapies ineffective

Pharmacologic therapies have side

effects

Experimental therapies effective but

not accessible

Alternative therapies most viable

Final Product
Create a website

Present to physics class

Educate Reservoir about VaD

Teach therapies
Call to Action
Pharmacologic therapies for VaD
specifically

Experimental therapies need to be

more accessible

More treatment options

Support dementia research

QUESTIONS?
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