Vascular dementia caused by a series of mini stokes is not reversible, either. The strokes that cause vascular dementia usually are not detectable at first, even though each stroke is causing damage to brain cells. By the time that symptoms begin to show, it means that the damage has accumulated in the brain. Doctors cannot correct any of the damage caused by the strokes, and the brain cannot heal itself from this kind of damage.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is not possible to treat. The course the disease takes mirrors that of Alzheimer’s disease and also shared some traits with Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Though dementia with Lewy bodies cannot be cured, the progression of the disease can be slowed down in some patients when they are treated with Alzheimer’s medications, Parkinson’s medications, or a combination of the two.

Pick’s disease, also known as frontal temporal lobe dementia, is similarly untreatable. Pick’s disease affects the frontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for behavior and emotion. The cause is unknown, but once the damage is present in the brain, it cannot be reversed.

The ability to treat some forms of dementia highlights the importance of patients seeing a doctor soon after the appearance of their symptoms and going to a doctor’s appointment prepared with all of the relevant information to their medical history. It is also important for a doctor to know all prescription and over the counter medications a patient is taking to rule in or out any potential drug based cause for the dementia. Even untreatable dementia can be managed for a period of time if caught early, so there are options available to all of those who are concerned about their memory loss.

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