Basic Scientific Research

I decided to do some basic research into Dementia as an illness and learn more about it scientifically. The knowledge I have gained has been through my great-grandparents illness which has been told to me by parents and family members in vague detail, and also from the television news and documentaries online. However, in order to present a well informed and educated piece of video work, I feel like I need to know more about the illness from a professional point of view. I decided to read Dementia by Lawrence Whalley and John Breitner which is an easy to read but informative book focussing on the neuroscience and symptoms/treatment for dementia.

Basic Neuroscience

"Although the presence of dementia does not always imply the existence of an identifiable brain disease, it usually does so. A basic knowledge of some of the principles of neuroscience and the anatomy and physiology of the brain is therefore essential to a basic understanding of the illness" (Page 7)

The book then goes onto show the layout of a cell in the brain, and got me thinking about different ways that I could show how a person thinks and using sound to insinute thinking and mental production of thoughts. However, this chapter did not go down to well, due to my lack of interest in science! (SORRY!). So I anticipate my main body and inspiration from scientific research will comes from the symptoms section of this book.

Symptoms, signs and course

"Sometimes, particularly in the UK, the term Dementia is used to signify a brain disease with a precise corresponding neuropathology. However, we prefer to define dementia as a clinical syndrome without implication of any specific etiology. The syndrome is characterised by a decline in multiple aspects of cognition that is not attributable to alteration in consciousness." (Page 34)

My personal knowledge understood dementia to have a few symptoms, such as loss of memory, and loss of reasoning, but this book lists a lot more that I would never have associated with the illness, such as lack of perceptual interpretation, lack of use of language and lack of ability to deal with relationships and friendships. In my film, I definitely want to concentrate on the lack of memory aspect, as that is what most people associate with dementia, but would also like to intertwine the idea of lack of language by not having any narrative or speech included, apart from the occasional sigh from exhaustion of trying to remember specific memories or sighing from anger.


(Lawrence J. Whalley, 2002. Dementia Fast facts Series. 1st Edition. Health Pr.)