An elderly woman tells her doctor that she often forgets words and cannot remember where she puts things. After running several tests, the doctor determines that the woman’s brain function is slowly decreasing. What is the cause of her symptoms?

The doctor finds that the woman’s brain function is slowly decreasing, which describes a gradual deterioration rather than a sudden injury. A degenerative disease can progressively affect memory and other brain functions. Overstretching and a crush injury are types of physical injury, so they do not fit the symptoms described.

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