Not Acquired

If you determine that the cognitive abnormalities are not acquired, but instead have been there for most or all of an individual’s life, then this is a static encephalopathy, or some other form of cognitive challenge like a learning disability, borderline intellectual functioning, etc.

Individuals with cognitive difficulties that fall into one of these categories do not fulfill criteria for a dementia.

It is possible for someone to have BOTH static cognitive challenges AND acquired dementia syndromes. A typical scenario where this occurs and is relevant to the current discussion is in Down’s Syndrome (trisomy 21). In this situation, many people with trisomy 21 will progress to develop acquired cognitive disturbances and functional impairment, most often representing Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, individuals with trisomy 21 are not eligible for anti-amyloid therapies, and thus all individuals who have cognitive abnormalities that are NOT acquired are excluded.