摘要:

The density of diffuse, primitive, classic and compact β-amyloid (β/A4) deposits was estimated in the medial temporal lobe in elderly non-demented brains and in Alzheimer''s disease (AD). In the non-demented cases, β/A4 deposits were absent in the hippocampus but in 8/14 cases they were present in the adjacent cortical regions. Variation in β/A4 deposition in the non-demented cases was large and overlapped with that of the AD cases. The ratio of mature to diffuse β/A4 deposits was greater in the non-demented than in the AD cases. In both the non-demented cases and AD, the β/A4 deposits were clustered with, in many tissues, a regular distribution of clusters along the cortex parallel to the pia. However, the mean cluster size of the deposits in the cortex was greater in AD than in the non-demented cases. These results suggest that the spread of β/A4 pathology between the modular units of the cortex and into the hippocampus could be important factors in the development

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106933

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Despite the close morphological association of β-amyloid and vascular cells, the functional effects of amyloid in cerebral endothelial cells in Alzheimer’s disease have not been assessed. In this study, effects of amyloid fractions purified from senile plaques of AD brains were compared to synthetic amyloid peptides for their ability to affect brain endothelial cells in vitro. Our results indicate that plaque-derived amyloid inhibit brain endothelial cell proliferation in vitro by 40%. This inhibition was specific for plaque-derived amyloid, was not evoked by synthetic Aβ1–40, and was not mediated by alterations in intracellular calcium levels. Amyloid fractions from AD brains, although not directly toxic to brain endothelial cells, inhibit endothelial replication in vitro and therefore could alter the ability of vessels to repair and regenerate after i

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106934

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106935

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) were analyzed morphometrically in 21 rhesus monkeys ranging in age from 9 to 33 years. Numbers of cholinergic neurons were similar across all ages at several NBM levels in either Nissl-stained paraffin sections or sections processed immunocytochemically for nerve growth factor receptor (p75LNGFr) Size of NBM neurons was larger in aged monkeys than young monkeys at all NBM levels, particularly in the most posterior subdivision. A subset of monkeys were behaviorally characterized shortly before death, and partial correlation analyses indicated that increased age was associated with declines in recognition memory, visuospatial orientation, and reaction time. Controlling for age, spatial memory and concurrent discrimination abilities were associated with lower cell number in intermediate NBM. Numbers of neurons in anterior NBM did not correlate with any behavioral measure. These observations indicate that numbers of NBM cholinergic neurons are stable with age, that NBM neurons become hypertrophic in older animals, and that morphometric indices of cholinergic neurons are associated with cognitive function.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106936

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The regional cerebral blood flow, brain atrophy, white matter changes and neurophysiologic changes were evaluated in 28 patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer''s disease (AD) and in 8 patients with a clinical diagnosis of frontal lobe dementia (FLD) using single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography (EEG). We found that FLD patients had more severe frontal blood flow reduction and less severe parietal blood flow reduction compared to AD patients. Among patients with mild dementia the EEG changes were less severe in the FLD group. No significant differences were found in white matter changes or in regional atrophy.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106937

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The relations between quantitative EEG, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), severity of disease and neuropsychological data were analyzed in 31 patients in different stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As a group the demented patients had higher delta and theta activities, lower alpha activity and lower alpha peak frequency than control subjects. rCBF was reduced in all regions studied but mainly in the temporoparietal areas. An analysis of correlations showed a close relationship between rCBF and certain quantitative EEG Parameters in AD patients, mainly the power of the theta and delta bands. Both rCBF evaluation and quantitative EEG provide functional information related to the severity of cognitive impairmen

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106938

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In a neuropathological study of consecutive autopsies, prevalence and cause of dementia in a Japanese leprosarium were investigated, where more than 95% of inpatients with a mean age of 70 years are now free from active leprosy. In 10 years (1983–1992), clinically overt dementia at death was 35/136 (25.7%) in the age group over 65 years (mean age 79.4). Autopsy was performed in 85 cases (mean age 81 years), and clinically overt dementia was seen in 25 subjects (29.4%). Neuropathologically, Alzheimer''s disease (AD) was seen in 9 cases (10.6%), vascular dementia (VD) in 9 cases (10.6%), mixed type in 3 cases (3.5%) and unclassified in 4 cases (4.7%). In the age group of 65-84 years, AD was 5/58 (8.6%), VD was 4/58 (6.9%), mixed type was 2/58 (3.4%), and unclassified was 1/58 (1.7%). Compared with previous Japanese general population-based data, where VD was more frequent than AD, the rate of dementia in our leprosarium was high, and pathologically confirmed AD was as common as VD. Recently, a prophylactic effect of the antileprosy and anti-inflammatory drug DDS (dapsone, 4,4´-diaminodiphenyl sulfone) has been suggested. Lepromatous patients take more DDS (51.9%) than tuberculoid patients (11.5%), however, as the dementia rate of tuberculoid leprosy (17.9%) in those 65–84 years old is similar to lepromatous leprosy (15.9%) in our study, we do not support their viewp

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106939

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Neuropathological changes in elderly residents of Oslo, Norway, were characterised with respect to the cerebral substrates of dementia. Ninety-two brains were examined, representing 41% of all deaths occurring in 10 nursing homes during a 9-month period. The autopsy cohort showed a similar mean age (85 years) and sex ratio (73% female) and proportion of demented patients (75%) compared to all the patients resident in these homes who died during the same period. Clinical data was compiled retrospectively. Diagnosis was made using the CERAD protocol, and criteria for the diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. Lewy body formation was present in 20% and cerebral infarction in 21% of patients. In the demented group (69 patients) 90% fulfilled CERAD criteria for definite or probable Alzheimer’s disease. Eight demented cases had absent neocortical neurofibrillary tangles and 6 other cases showed Lewy body dementia (9% of demented patients). A further 8 of these demented cases had brain stem Lewy bodies with only minimal cortical involvement. Thirteen cases (19% of the sample) had cerebral infarcts but these were considered to be clinically significant in only 4 (6%). In the non-demented patients (23) 4 patients had brain stem Lewy bodies and 6 had cerebral infarcts. Despite inclusion criteria biased towards the collection of Alzheimer''s disease and normal patients, both Lewy body dementia (7%) and cerebral infarcts contributing to dementia (6%) were freque

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106940

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We have shown that the response to flash stimulation of the occipital electroencephalogram (EEG) in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients is smaller than in normal subjects. To ascertain whether this is a specific feature of AD or a nonspecific effect of dementia, we investigated in AD and multi-infarct dementia (MID) patients the relationship between cognitive function, measured as Mini-Mental State Examination score, and EEG power response, measured as the difference in spectral power between flash-stimulated EEG and resting EEG. Both variables were positively correlated and the regression equations of AD and MID patients were not significantly different, showing nonspecificity. The coupling between cognitive function and power response is discussed in relation to the dynamic binding hypothesis of cognition.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106941

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A detailed analysis of the mnestic deficits associated with Parkinson''s disease (PD) contributes to explaining the cognitive disorders and their well documented consequences. This study was designed to show that, in PD declarative as well as procedural memory is severely impaired. Three tests designed to explore this aspect of mnestic functioning were proposed to a group of 16 parkinsonian patients whose motoricity was controlled: inverted reading, braille reading, sound form association. The results obtained, compared with those of young and aged controls, show that PD is associated with marked deficits in both declarative and procedural memory. Declarative memory impairment was similar to that observed in the control population (healthy elderly subjects, age-matched with the PD patients) but more marked in PD subjects. The procedural memory deficit was linked with age and pathology. Procedural memory involves a variety of processing modules dedicated to the type of information (visual, auditive, tactile codes). The deficits observed were more like a loss of automatism than procedural impairment stricto sensu (''knowing how''). It would be worth pursuing research by studying akinesia and motor disorders from the angle of automatic memory impairment.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106942

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger