摘要:

The aim of the present study was to examine the involvement of brain structures, especially the amygdala-hippocampal complex, in dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT), and to assess the relation of amygdala-hippocampal atrophy with memory dysfunction. 14 patients with DAT and 10 healthy age-matched controls were examined with different neuropsychologic tests including the UCLA-Auditory Verbal Learning Test. MRI was performed with a conventional 1.5-tesla scanner. Atrophy was found in many brain structures of demented subjects in comparison with healthy age-matched controls. The volumes of amygdala-hippocampal complexes and of the temporal lobes of demented subjects were more reduced than the total brain volume and other structures. Memory dysfunction was highly correlated with atrophy of the amygdala-hippocampal complexes and of the temporal lobes. Consequently, DAT seems to affect the amygdala-hippocampal complex and their related function (i.e. memory) more than other cerebral structures, but cerebral degeneration in DAT is not restricted to these structures.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106651

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Patients with probable late-onset Alzheimer''s disease (1-AD) had higher levels of serum α1-antichymotrypsin (α1-ACT) than those found in patients with vascular dementia (VD) and healthy elderly controls, when assessed by a competitive enzyme-linked immune assay. Serum α1-ACT was also characterized by SDS PAGE electrophoresis, Western blot and computer-assisted optical density reading (OD). Using a polyclonal affinity-purified antibody specific for human α1-ACT, one band with the apparent MW of 60 and another with 180 kD in sera from all subjects were clearly detectable. OD of both α1-ACT bands from patients with 1-AD was higher than that from VD patients, the 180-kD form being 2.65 times higher than that observed from patients with VD. Serum levels of other acute phase proteins from 1-AD were comparable to those observed in VD patients. A slight but nonstatistical increment of serum IL-6 was noted in patients with 1-AD. Serum α1-ACT was purified from 3 of these 1-AD patients by a two-step affinity chromatography technique. After Western blot, purified α1-ACT showed two or three different bands which immune-reacted with an antibody specific for α1-ACT. The apparent MWs were 60, 120 and 180 kD. In human sera the serpin was present mainly in a monomeric form, but it could also form SDS stable dimers and trimers. Both monomeric and SDS stable polymeric forms of α1-ACT appeared to be increased in sera from patients w

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106652

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Multichannel EEG as sequence of momentary brain field maps constitutes a trajectory through K-dimensional state space (K = number of channels); the complexity of this trajectory is assessed by the nonlinear measure of global correlation dimension (Global Dimensional Complexity, GDC) with the number of electrodes as embedding dimension. We analyzed eyes-closed EEG of three age-matched subject groups: mild Alzheimer''s disease (AD; n = 21), mild cognitive impairment (29) and subjective memory complaint (29). Kruskal-Wallis statistics showed an overall effect between groups. AD patients differed significantly (GDC = 4.56) from mild cognitive impairments (GDC = 4.98) and from subjective memory complaints (GDC = 4.93). GDC also had significant positive correlations with mental condition and performance (MMSE and WAIS-R scores). Thus, the dynamics of brain state development over time in mild AD differs from that in mild cognitive impairment and in subjective memory complaint cases.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106653

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We investigated the correlation between cortical perfusion and white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance images (MRI) of patients with dementia. The study included 40 subjects, each of whom had undergone both MRI and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies as part of their diagnostic evaluation for degenerative dementia. Two neuroradiologists rated the MRI films for severity of periventricular white matter changes on a 0–5 point scale and severity of subcortical white matter changes on a 0–4 point scale. Twelve regions of interest from association cortex were sampled for the semiquantitative analysis of SPECT images. No relationship was found between these global MRI ratings and semiquantitative or qualitative SPECT findings. Dementia severity as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clinical Dementia Rating was significantly correlated with SPECT, whereas age was significantly correlated with MRI ratings, particularly in the periventricular regions. These data support the view that cortical SPECT abnormalities are not associated with global MRI abnormalities in the subcortical and periventricular regions of patients with a clinical picture of degenerative demen

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106654

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We conducted a neuropsychological study comparing early-stage Alzheimer''s disease (AD; n = 22) and multiple subcortical infarction with mild cognitive impairment (MSI; n = 22) using an easily applicable test battery which included 8 tests. Two groups were matched for age, education and score on the Mini-Mental State Examination. Patients with AD had significantly lower scores than MSI patients in the delayed recall of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, while MSI patients had significantly worse scores in the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test. This suggests that early discrimination of MSI from AD can be made by frontal system impairment in MSI and episodic memory disturbance in the visuospatial domain in AD using simple neuropsychological tests.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106655

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

This study evaluated four devices – a Pedometer, Step Sensor, Actigraph, and Personal Activity Meter (PAM) – as measures of pacing behavior. Ten nursing home residents who frequently paced in a long-term care facility underwent 1 day of data collection with each of the devices. Data derived from devices were compared to behavioral observations regarding the number of steps taken. Additionally, devices were evaluated via ratings concerning ease of use, and how well residents tolerated them. All devices yielded high correlations with the observed number of steps, with highest correlations for the PAM and Actigraph. All devices were tolerated well. The Pedometer and Step Sensor were the easiest to use. This study demonstrated that these devices offer an objective means to measure pacing/wandering behav

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106656

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Age-related changes and the effects of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) were investigated during a visual orienting attention task in which attention was pre-cued to one or other hemifields. Central cues were either valid, neutral, invalid or NoGo (inhibitory). The response time cost-benefit analysis showed a decreased benefit after valid cueing in the old compared with the young group with no change in the cost of invalid cueing. The older group were also slower over all cue types. These results suggest there is an age-related reduced ability to covertly orient attention in a visual hemifield before target onset. In contrast, the DAT group showed an increased response time benefit and showed a trend for a decreased cost in response time compared with controls. This was due to slowest response times after neutral cues. They also made significantly more response errors particularly following neutral cueing, and were less able to inhibit responses on NoGo trials than controls. The increased benefit and reduced cost found in the DAT group was interpreted as an impairment in dividing attention between left and right target locations.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106657

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Population-based samples of normal old adults, patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD), and patients with vascular dementia (VaD) between 90 and 100 years of age were given a series of episodic memory tasks, assessing face recognition, word recall, and object recall. Results indicated (a) no group differences in those variables reflecting primary memory, and clear dementia-related deficits in secondary memory; (b) no differences between persons with AD and VaD in face recognition and object recall, and (c) an advantage of VaD patients compared with AD patients in word recall. It was suggested that the ability to transfer information from temporary to permanent storage may be particularly affected by a dementing disease. In addition, the selective AD-related deficit in word recall was interpreted in terms of a greater impairment of various language-related skills in AD compared with VaD.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106658

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A 36-year-old Japanese woman presented with progressive cerebellar signs and mental deterioration of subacute course after her return from the USA. Her serum antibody to spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi was significantly elevated. A necropsy 4 years after her initial neurological signs revealed multifocal inflammatory change in the cerebral cortex, thalamus, superior colliculus, dentate nucleus, inferior olivary nucleus and spinal cord. The lesions showed spongiform change, neuronal cell loss, astrocytosis and proliferation of activated microglial cells. The internal capsule was partially vacuolated and the spinal cord, notably at the thoracic level, was demyelinated and cavitated in the lateral funiculus. Microglial cells aggregated within and around the spongiform lesions and microglial nodules were present in the medulla oblongata. Use of Warthin-Starry stain demonstrated silver-impregnated organisms strongly suggesting B. burgdorferi in the central nervous tissues. The dentate nucleus and inferior olivary nucleus showed the most advanced lesions with profound fibrillary gliosis. Occlusive vascular change was relatively mild, and fibrous thickening of the leptomeninges with lymphocyte infiltrates was localized in the basal midbrain. The ataxic symptoms were due to the dentate and olivary nucleus lesions and mental deterioration was attributable to the cortical and thalamic lesions. Spongiform change, neuronal cell loss, and microglial activation are characteristic pathological features in the present case. The cerebellar ataxia and subsequent mental deterioration are unusual clinical features of Lyme neuroborreliosis. Spirochete B. burgdorferi can cause focal inflammatory parenchymal change in the central nervous tissues and the present case may be an encephalitic form of Lyme neuroborreliosis.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106659

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106660

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1997

数据来源: Karger