Risk factors
posterior cortical atrophy
The symptoms of PCA are caused by changes in the brain cells that process visual information from our eyes.
In this section:
What causes posterior cortical atrophy?
In PCA caused by Alzheimer’s disease, it is not clear why the disease affects this part of the brain more so than the areas affected by typical Alzheimer’s, which generally are involved in memory.
It is thought that what makes up a person’s risk of developing PCA is similar to other types of dementia. This is a complex mix of factors including our:
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age
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genes
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health
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lifestyle
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and environment
Scientists are working hard to find out more, as well as exploring specific genetic or lifestyle risk factors for the condition.
Downloads
Dementia information
Find out more about the symptoms and causes of posterior cortical atrophy, and the treatments currently available.
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PDF, 1,317 KB, 13 pages
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This information was updated in April 2025 and is due to be reviewed in April 2027. It was written by Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team with input from lay and expert reviewers. Please get in touch if you’d like a version with references or in a different format.
This information is produced with support from The Perfume Shop who had no input into the content.
