摘要:

Motor neuron disease (MND) can be associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and circumscribed lobar atrophy of frontal and temporal lobes. Neuropathological correlations were sought in postmortem studies from a woman with these associated conditions. Cerebral blood flow imaging and autopsy showed cortical abnormalities in the frontal and temporal lobes, but typical argyrophilic Pick''s bodies were absent and ubiquitin-positive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions were rare. However, hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed eosinophilic, granular, central cytoplasmic ‘clearing’ in most neurons of the substantia nigra and in cervical anterior horn cells. Electron microscopy showed that these neurons contained a central cytoplasmic zone cleared of neuromelanin and normal cytoplasmic organelles containing small mitochondria with matrix inclusions and randomly oriented filamentous material. A mitochondrial dysfunction or defective transport of mitochondria into axonal processes needs to be studied as a potential cause for the coassociation of MND and

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106915

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Change in calcium response was studied to clarify the pathological process of Alzheimer''s disease (AD). Cultured fibroblasts from patients with familial Alzheimer''s disease (FAD; n = 6), sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (SAD; n = 4), and age-matched healthy control subjects (n = 4) were studied with an ACAS Interactive Laser Cytometer (ACAS-470). Fibroblasts from two independent families with FAD (OS-1, and OS-2 families) showed a suppressed calcium response after stimulation by 100 nM bradykinin (BK) 100 nM Vasopressin (VP)or 10% FCS in Ca2+-free condition compared with control fibroblasts at 48 h after plating. However, on the 7th day after plating, the abnormal calcium response was no longer observed. The height of the calcium peak showed periodic variation, indicating a relationship of calcium response with the cell cycle. When fibroblasts from OS-1 and OS-2 families were arrested in S phase, they showed a significantly suppressed calcium peak after BK stimulation. However, when those fibroblasts were arrested in other phases, they showed the same calcium peak as the other cells. The suppression of calcium response in S phase was indistinguishable from the calcium suppression induced by A23187 administration. Since Hardy type mutation on amyIoid precursor protein gene is found in the OS-1 family, the observed abnormalities in calcium response might be related with pathological processing of amyloid precursor protein in AD. The reported abnormal calcium response, which is observed most obviously in fibroblasts in S phase, may indicate participation of the cell-cycle-dependent process in the pathology of A

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106916

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A portion of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) patients have elevated serum levels of the acute phase reactant α1-antichymotrypsin (A1ACT) compared to age-matched controls. We measured serum levels of A1ACT in AD patients, age-matched controls, Down''s Syndrome patients, and nondemented first-degree relatives of AD patients. Significantly elevated levels of A1ACT were found in both AD patients and first-degree-relatives. In AD patients, serum A1ACT concentrations decreased with increasing severity of cognitive impairment. These results may suggest that inflammatory phenomena may be an early component of AD pathophysiology

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106917

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We have performed a quantitative analysis of the amyloid load (plaques), neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the frontal, temporal and parietal association cortices of autopsied brains from 49 prospectively evaluated patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD) diagnosed according to three sets of published pathological criteria. These patients had been assessed clinically with psychological testing of cognitive abilities within 6 months of death. Correlations were sought between severity of pathological change and cognitive status before death, duration of disease and age at death. Using Khachaturian and CERAD criteria highly positive correlations were obtained between the extent of cognitive deficit and the density of NFT in frontal and parietal lobes. The percentage area of cortex occupied by amyloid in the parietal lobe was correlated to the cognitive deficit only in the CERAD-diagnosed cases. The density of all amyloid plaques (AP) showed no correlation with the extent of cognitive deficit, but the densities of neuritic plaques did correlate with cognitive deficit. Both amyloid load and tangle densities were positively correlated with disease duration. All these correlations were reduced or absent in a sub-group of cases fulfilling the Tierney et al. A3 diagnostic criteria for AD. We found no pathological measure that correlated with the age of patients at death. Amyloid loads and NFT densities showed highly significant but selective positive correlations, the most striking being between temporal lobe NFT density and frontal and parietal lobe amyloid load and between temporal lobe NFT density and frontal and parietal lobe NFT densities. Correlations involving AP density as a measure of amyloid load were almost always less significant than those involving the percentage area of cortex occupied by amyloid, suggesting that the latter measures amyloid load more accurately. However, the highest correlations of NFT densities were with neuritic plaque densities. Overall this study highlights the relevance of neuritic changes (revealed by NFT and neuritic plaques) and the irrelevance of amyloid plaques to the dementia of AD.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106918

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In a previous transcranial Doppler (TCD) study, we demonstrated a decrease in blood flow velocity in the proximal tract of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In these patients there was also an asymmetry in blood flow velocity which positively correlated with the cognitive asymmetry often seen in the early phase of AD. In this study we found a correlation between the absolute values and asymmetry indexes of MCA blood flow velocity with adjusted metabolic values and asymmetry indexes of the relative cortical frontotemporoparietal (FTP) areas, evaluated by FDG-PET, and with neuropsychological asymmetry indexes. Patients with prevalent visuospatial deficits (right hemisphere dysfunction) showed significant decreases in right MCA blood flow velocity and right FTP cortical glucose hypometabolism, whereas in patients with prevalent language deficits (left hemisphere dysfunction), these signs were observed on the other side. In AD patients, the decrease of blood flow velocity in MCA might be due to reduced metabolic demands in the temporoparietal cortical areas primarily affected by A

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106919

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cognitive functioning was analyzed in a study with 50 aging patients. A complex pattern of interactions was identified between emotional and cognitive functioning and chronic respiratory disease when the effects of age, sex, type and severity of disease were controlled. These patients did not show any global and diffuse cognitive impairment. Only a portion of COPD patients (about 30%) evidenced memory impairment which was confined to immediate memory. Memory impairment found in these patients did not appear to be associated with those changes present in the aging process but was mainly related to those specific clinical and instrumental parameters which are considered valid indicators of respiratory efficiency. Two types of cognitive and emotional problems were identified. A progressive stage-dependent set of characteristics was associated with the course of the disease and a fluctuating, probably reversible state-dependent set of characteristics was associated with the temporary condition of the patients during the period of examination. Patients who had received more recent medical treatment or who were under protection of vaccination for influenza showed a better cognitive and emotional efficiency.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106920

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

This study examines selected demographic, psychometric, and biological measures as predictors of visuospatial performance in a sample of 98 persons with mild to moderate dementia. Visuospatial performance was measured using standardized neuropsychology instruments, namely: Poppelreuter''s figures, the clock test, and block design. Although multiple measures were initially correlated with performance on the selected visuospatial tests, the Mini-Mental State Examination was the exclusive predictor of Poppelreuter''s figures and the clock test scores. For block design, years of education also contributed to the prediction model, but only among mildly demented persons. These results suggest that disease severity plays a dominant role in the prediction of visuospatial performance in dementia, particularly in more advanced stages of the disease. The differential role of education in predicting block design performance in mild vs. moderate dementia was also highlighted.

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106921

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Education and occupation as sociodemographic risk factors for dementias of the Alzheimer (DAT) and ischemic vascular types (IVD) were evaluated by two case series studies. Cases were compared to well-evaluated individuals identified as healthy normals acting as controls. There were 150 patients with probable DAT, 102 patients with probable IVD, and 188 neurologically and cognitively normal subjects. Logistic regression indicated that for DAT, education with occupation was the best predictor (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.23–1.87). For IVD, the two predictors were: education with occupation (OR, 1.84; 95% CI 1.38–4.50) and education with gender (OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.29–8.92). We conclude that risk of dementia is increased in those with limited educational background and occupational achiev

ISSN:1420-8008    

DOI:10.1159/000106922

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1995

数据来源: Karger