Terminal Decline

Terminal decline (or terminal cognitive decline) is the gradual decline in cognitive function that occurs as a function of time before death. The onset and severity of terminal decline vary greatly between individuals. It is thought that a certain degree of cognitive decline occurs due to biological changes in the aging human brain, but evidence suggests that more abrupt and perceptible decline is often associated with an underlying death process or disease pathology. Decline is often gradual and relatively imperceptible for a period of several years, then increases dramatically in closer proximity to death. Future investigations are necessary to characterize disease‐specific decline trajectories and understand how specific areas of cognition (i.e., memory, vocabulary) are affected by terminal decline.