Symptoms of significant brain atrophy include progressive cognitive impairment involving multiple cognitive functions, otherwise known as dementia, seizures and aphasia, which is the disruption in the understanding or production of language or both.
The Senate majority leader has somewhat less official power than the Speaker of the House. This is because the vice president is technically the Senate's presiding officer, a ceremonial position that calls chiefly for casting a vote in the event of a tie.
The entire House can theoretically be replaced each election. Representatives are chosen by the people in a direct election. The Constitution mandates that the House choose a Speaker for itself. The Speaker presides over the proceedings of the House and is the highest position in the House leadership. Other leadership positions are the Majority and Minority Leaders, and the Majority and Minority Whips. The Minority Leader would generally be the Speaker if his party were the majority. The whips act as an interface between the leadership and the rank-and-file members. The current leadership of the House (112th Congress, as of January 5, 2011): 1  Speaker: John Boehner (R-OH) 2  Majority Leader: Eric Cantor (R-VA) 3  Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) 4  Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) 5  Majority Whip: Steny Hoyer (D-MD)