If an older loved one suddenly starts showing mood changes, it could be an early warning of dementia. Thoracic and critical care specialist Dr. Huang Xuan highlights six key behavioral signs to watch for: sudden apathy, increased anxiety or panic, irritability, suspiciousness, emotional instability, and loss of motivation. To protect brain health, he advises maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and staying socially active—research shows loneliness can raise dementia risk by 50%.
Dr. Huang explains that before memory starts to decline, the brain often signals trouble through emotions and behavior, a stage often overlooked as “mild behavioral impairment.” Even if memory seems normal, early Alzheimer’s changes may already be occurring, including amyloid-β accumulation, tau protein pathology, hippocampal shrinkage, elevated neurofilament proteins, and dysfunction in the brain’s emotional regulation system.
The six early behavioral signs of dementia to watch for—especially if new and persistent for six months or more—are:
- Sudden Apathy: Losing interest in favorite activities, not because of laziness, but due to dopamine pathway disruption.
- Increased Anxiety or Panic: Trouble sleeping, frequent worry, linked to tau protein accumulation in the brain.
- Irritability or Impulsiveness: Reduced inhibition from the prefrontal cortex.
- Suspiciousness or Paranoia: Misinterpreting others’ intentions due to impaired social signal processing.
- Emotional Instability: Rapid swings between happiness and sadness caused by neurotransmitter imbalance.
- Loss of Motivation: Avoiding tasks, feeling everything is a hassle, due to a disrupted brain reward system.
To help protect the brain, Dr. Huang recommends regular routines with fixed sleep schedules to support the brain’s glymphatic system, daily exercise for 20–30 minutes to slow tau protein buildup, and an anti-inflammatory diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fatty fish while avoiding high sugar, processed, and fried foods. Staying socially engaged and challenging the brain—through sunlight, learning new words, or other stimulating activities—can help maintain prefrontal cortex function. Family support, understanding, and companionship are crucial for helping elders navigate these changes.
