Dementia Support Line
Posterior cortical atrophy
Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), also known as Benson's syndrome, is a rare degenerative condition in which damage occurs at the back (posterior region) of the brain. In the vast majority of people, the cause of PCA is Alzheimer's disease.
- Rarer types of dementia
- Atypical Alzheimer’s disease
- You are here: Posterior cortical atrophy
- CADASIL
- Corticobasal syndrome (CBS)
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND)
- Huntington's disease
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- Rarer types of dementia – useful organisations
Rarer causes of dementia
Problems with memory are the most common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, but around 1 in 20 people with Alzheimer’s have different early symptoms. This is called ‘atypical’ Alzheimer’s disease.
It starts in a different part of the brain and so causes different symptoms. One type of atypical Alzheimer’s disease is posterior cortical atrophy.
What are the symptoms of PCA?
At first, PCA mainly affects the back of the brain – a region called the ‘visual cortex’. This part of the brain processes information that comes from a person’s eyes and turns it into what the person sees.
PCA can also be caused by other types of disease that affect a person’s visual cortex, but this is less common.
A person who has PCA will usually start to have symptoms between the ages of about 55 and 65.
Symptoms affecting vision
The first signs are often subtle problems with their vision. It can take a long time to confirm that sight problems are caused by damage to the brain rather than by eye problems. This means there may be a delay of several months or even years before the person gets an accurate diagnosis of PCA. This can cause a lot of frustration and worry.
In the early stages of PCA, a person will have problems with their vision that become more serious over time. These may include:
- difficulty recognising faces and objects in pictures
- finding it hard to judge distances
- having problems with spatial awareness.
During the late stages of PCA, a person is likely to have care needs that are similar to people with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
Can PCA be treated?
There are no specific drugs to treat PCA. However, some of the symptoms to do with thinking and memory may improve slightly if they take the drugs donepezil, rivastigmine or galantamine.
If the person has depression or other symptoms related to their mood, these are often treated with antidepressant medication.
Getting the right support
Rare Dementia Support has a website with detailed information for people affected by PCA. They also have a PCA Support Group Adviser who can be contacted by phone or email.
