Daniel exhibited the first signs in 2018, at 48 years old, with forgetfulness and other conditions being treated as depression, following a job dismissal and harassment. Carla noticed subtle vision problems, and he also began to experience erectile dysfunction, which were linked to mental health. The first noticeable milestone for Carla was in 2020 when he got lost during Carnival in their city, Porto Alegre. ‘We went to the bathroom, and when I came out, he was gone. Later, during the pandemic, he, an accomplished mechanical engineer, bilingual, Cartesian, and pragmatic, with great ease for physics and astronomy, couldn’t teach his son a simple physics formula,’ she recalls.
He started mixing up numbers in financial transactions and struggling with Excel reports. Carla sought help from a psychiatrist, who requested a neuropsychological evaluation. The first report, issued in late 2021, indicated cognitive decline but was still attributed to depression. According to Carla, Daniel’s behaviors intensified. ‘He would get lost in familiar places, frequently crashed the car despite being an excellent driver, drove with the trunk open, and ran red lights. Confusion and arguments increased, leading to couples therapy.’
In mid-2023, after a new neuropsychological report showed a progression of the decline, the couple consulted a neurologist who identified significant difficulty with arithmetic and visuospatial skills, as well as compromised visual perception. ‘The suspicion was that it could be posterior cortical atrophy, affecting the back of the brain. This condition causes the person to see but not perceive, meaning the brain does not process the image, leading to a loss of spatial awareness, difficulties in locating objects on the table, and visualizing steps and traffic lights.’
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