Do Neurological disorders cause people to stare?

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1

I just looked this up online and, apparently, staring can be a sign of Alzheimer’s. My fiancé’s brother has several medical conditions, but the main issue was caused by a stroke and he’s had several brain surgeries. My fiancé and I have both noticed that he tends to just turn to people and stare for long periods of time, then it’s like something clicks and he stops. If you don’t say something to him, he could stare for minutes at a time. Is this something we should be concerned about? I realize since he has to have so many brain surgeries it can cause issues down the road with early onset Dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc. He already has memory loss and he’s almost 40 now. Some days his memory is worse and sometimes he can repeat what he just watched on TV. But the staring is what is a little different for me. My dad had a major stroke and never had this happen. I’m just wondering if it’s a sign that he could be developing something worse this early in life.

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2

Have you looked into epilepsy?

An absence seizure causes you to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds. They can also be called petit mal seizures. Absence seizures are most common in children and typically don’t cause any long-term problems. These types of seizures are often set off by a period of hyperventilation.

3

Staring can be a feature of dementias, Parkinsons, Autism, Epilepsy, and many other conditions. There are so many possibilities it’s not exactly reliable, taken on it’s own. It could just be a result of the damage done by the stroke.

Best thing, if you have concerns, is to take the totality of behaviours/symptoms to the GP for referral or action as necessary.