Brain shrinkage or Alzheimer's

I have had memory loss over the past 2 years, I'm a 47 yr. old female.  There are things I don't remember in the recent past and no matter how hard I try the memory doesn't come back. I have always been excellent in math, most of the time knowing an answer in my head so fast it surprised even me. Lately I can't even do simple math in my head and alot of times not on paper. I have called a family member by a different name the whole day but the next day I wouldn't even remember doing it.  I had a CT Scan of my brain and it showed brain shrinkage. The DR. told me about it but said don't worry I'm not saying you will get Alzheimer's.  My question is, does anyone know about Brain shrinkage and is it a symptom of the disease?

[Dr Rajgopal]

Hi,
Cerebral atrophy or brain shrinkage  is a condition characterized by a decrease in the size or a wasting away of brain cells and tissues. It may result from malnutrition, abnormal cell or hormonal changes, or stroke.  Symptoms of Cerebral  Atrophy includes: Muscle weakness , Vision impairment , Speech impairment , Dementia , Expressive Asphasia (Aphasias are a group of disorders characterized by disturbances in speaking and understanding language. Receptive aphasia causes impaired comprehension. Expressive aphasia is reflected in odd choices of words, the use of partial phrases, disjointed clauses, and incomplete sentences.) , Seizures .
The pattern and rate of progression of cerebral atrophy depends on the disease involved. Diseases that cause cerebral atrophy include:
Stroke and traumatic brain injury .
Alzheimer’s disease, Pick’s disease, and fronto-temporal dementia .
Cerebral palsy, in which lesions (damaged areas) may impair motor coordination .
Huntington’s disease, and other hereditary diseases that are associated with genetic mutations .
Leukodystrophies, such as Krabbe disease, which destroy the myelin sheath that protects axons .
Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, such as Kearns-Sayre syndrome, which interfere with the basic functions of neurons .
Multiple sclerosis, which causes inflammation, myelin damage, and lesions in cerebral tissue .
Infectious diseases, such as encephalitis, neurosyphilis, and AIDS, in which an infectious agent or the inflammatory reaction to it destroys neurons and their axons .
Hope this helps you .Take care and regards !

[Alykaatt]

Thank you so much.  I have an appointment with a Neurologist next month so he will hopefully do alot more testing and I will know something more.  I have had 3 TIA's in the past but never a major stroke. I guess the memory loss is the hardest thing for me to deal with.  Thanks again for replying and hopefully I will have a concrete answer after seeing the Neurologist.
Take care

[forjay]

A related discussion, Brain Shrinkage was started.