Cerebrometabolic Aspects of Delirium in Relationship to Dementia

Delirium is associated with decreased cerebral metabolism and with cholinergic deficiency. These deficits also occur in Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. The clinical, metabolic, and pharmacological similarities between delirium and dementia agree with the suggestion that delirium and dementia can both be thought of as forms of 'cerebral insufficiency'.