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Alzheimer's Disease - Dementia

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Alzheimer's Disease - Dementia

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Alzheimer's Disease

"Alzheimer's disease (AD), one form of dementia, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Memory impairment is a necessary feature for the diagnosis of this or any type of dementia. Change in one of the following areas must also be present: language, decision-making ability, judgment, attention, and other areas of mental function and personality. The rate of progression is different for each person. If AD develops rapidly, it is likely to continue to progress rapidly. If it has been slow to progress, it will likely continue on a slow course. There are two types of AD -- early onset and late onset. In early onset AD, symptoms first appear before age 60. Early onset AD is much less common, accounting for only 5-10% of cases. However, it tends to progress rapidly. The brain tissue shows "neurofibrillary tangles" (twisted fragments of protein within nerve cells that clog up the cell), "neuritic plaques" (abnormal clusters of dead and dying nerve cells, other brain cells, and protein), and "senile plaques" (areas where products of dying nerve cells have accumulated around protein). Although these changes occur to some extent in all brains with age, there are many more of them in the brains of people with AD."

Highlighted Articles

Nutritional factors, cognitive decline, and dementia. (Brain Res Bull. 2006)

"Nutritional factors and nutritional deficiencies have been repeatedly associated with cognitive impairment. … Deficiencies of several B vitamins have been associated with cognitive dysfunction in many observational studies. More recently, deficiencies of folate (B(9)) and cobalamine (B(12)) have been studied in relation to hyperhomocysteinemia as potential determinants of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A small number of studies assessed the association between intake of macronutrients and cognitive function or dementia. Among the others, the intake of fatty acids and cholesterol has received particular attention. Although the results are not always consistent, most studies have reported a protective role of dietary intakes of poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids against cognitive decline and AD."

Exercise Is Associated with Reduced Risk for Incident Dementia among Persons 65 Years of Age and Older (Annals of Internal Medicine 2006)

"Conclusion: These results suggest that regular exercise is associated with a delay in onset of dementia and Alzheimer disease, further supporting its value for elderly persons."

Alzheimer's Disease - Dementia

General Information

NEWS:

Alzheimer's Process May Start in 50s

B Vitamin Pills Fail Brain Test

Blood Proteins Associated With Dementia Risk

Death of Alzheimer victim linked to aluminium pollution". of the 20 most common elements on Earth, aluminium is the only one not involved in any essential biological process. That's because of its feisty chemistry, he explains. When in solution, aluminium ions are small and highly charged, making them very reactive. 'Once aluminium binds to proteins, it sticks for good,' he says. 'It's like trying to use superglue to mend a Swiss watch.' "

New Guidelines Address Care of Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia

Researchers Map Out Early Steps to Alzheimer's "Memory failure is usually the very earliest sign of a pre-Alzheimer's condition, and a new study finds that 'executive functions' -- concentration, decision-making and problem-solving -- may be the next neurological systems affected."

Some 'senior moments' could be Alzheimer's

ARTICLES:

Frequently Asked Questions About Alzheimer's Disease

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Ankle Brachial Index as a Predictor of Cognitive Impairment in the General Population: Ten-Year Follow-Up of the Edinburgh Artery Study (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006) "Conclusion: The ABI may be useful in identifying older individuals at higher risk of cognitive impairment. In the future, preventive measures developed to target individuals with a low ABI should consider measures to reduce vascular-related cognitive decline as well as cardiovascular events, in an effort to reduce the incidence and consequences of subsequent cognitive impairment and dementia."

[Apathy in Alzheimer's disease.] (Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2006) Apathy is the most common neuropsychiatry syndrome in Alzheimer's disease affecting 30-60% of patients. It can be defined as a loss of motivation and manifests in affect, cognition and behavioral changes, determining blunted emotional response, lack of insight and social retraction, respectively.

Apathy in patients with mild cognitive impairment and the risk of developing dementia of Alzheimer's disease (Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 2006) "Taking into account that apathy is one of the most frequently observed neuropsychiatric symptoms in MCI and in DAT the present study suggests that patients with MCI and apathy should be more closely observed."

Behavioral features in semantic dementia vs other forms of progressive aphasias. (Neurology. 2006)

Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Alzheimer Type Dementia Are Not Correlated with Plasma Homocysteine Concentration. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006) "Background/Aims: Vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies have been associated with cognitive impairment and various psychiatric symptoms but not specifically with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). … Conclusion: This study shows for the first time that BPSD are not associated with hyperhomocysteinaemia in Alzheimer dementia. Although previous studies have identified homocysteine as an independent risk factor in AD, the results reported here do not lend weight to an aetiological role for homocysteine specifically in BPSD."

Behavior Disorders of Dementia: Recognition and Treatment (Am Fam Physician 2006)

Body mass index in older persons is associated with Alzheimer disease pathology (NEUROLOGY 2006) "Conclusion: Body mass in old age is associated with Alzheimer disease pathology in persons with and without dementia."

Coffee consumption is inversely associated with cognitive decline in elderly European men: the FINE Study. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006)

Cognitive decline and survival in Alzheimer's disease. (Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006) "CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the rate at which cognition declines in AD is robustly related to survival."

Cognitive impact of neuronal pathology in the entorhinal cortex and CA1 field in Alzheimer's disease. (Neurobiol Aging. 2006)

Cognitive impact of subcortical vascular and Alzheimer's disease pathology. (Ann Neurol. 2006)

Conversion to dementia from mild cognitive disorder: The Cache County Study (NEUROLOGY 2006) "Conclusions: Individuals with all types of mild cognitive impairment have an elevated risk of dementia over 3 years, more so in those with an APOE 4 allele. These results suggest value in dementia surveillance for broad groups of cognitively impaired individuals beyond any specific category, and utility of APOE genotyping as a prognostic method."

Cube Drawing Performances in Normal Ageing and Alzheimer's Disease: Data from the PAQUID Elderly Population-Based Cohort. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006)

Delusion symptoms are associated with ApoE e4 allelic variant at the early stage of Alzheimer's disease with late onset (European Journal of Neurology 2006) " . the relationship between behaviour and ApoE e4 allele is confirmed for delusions only."

Depression in Alzheimer's disease. (Expert Rev Neurother. 2006) "Depression is one of the most frequent comorbid psychiatric disorders in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and is associated with poorer quality of life, greater disability in activities of daily living, a faster cognitive decline, a high rate of nursing home placement, relatively higher mortality and a higher frequency of depression and burden in caregivers."

Dissociation of neuropathology from severity of dementia in late-onset Alzheimer disease (Neurology 2006)

Education and rates of cognitive decline in incident Alzheimer's disease (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2006) "Conclusions: We conclude that higher education AD patients experience faster cognitive decline."

Fat Intake at Midlife and Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: A Population-Based Study. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006) "Conclusions: Moderate intake of unsaturated fats at midlife is protective, whereas a moderate intake of saturated fats may increase the risk of dementia and AD, especially among ApoE epsilon4 carriers. Thus, dietary interventions may potentially modify the risk of dementia, particularly among genetically susceptible individuals."

Functional Vitamin E Deficiency in ApoE4 Patients with Alzheimer's Disease. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006)

Homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B-12 and cognitive performance in older Chinese adults: findings from the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006) "Conclusions: In this high-functioning elderly Chinese population, elevated homocysteine is associated with deficits in constructional ability and processing speed and folate is associated with measures of episodic memory and language. Our results provide support for differential effects of homocysteine and folate on specific cognitive functions."

Incidence of dementia (Bandolier Journal 2006)

Increased Hippocampal Plaques and Tangles in Patients With Alzheimer Disease With a Lifetime History of Major Depression (Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006)

Lewy bodies in the amygdala increase risk for major depression in subjects with Alzheimer disease. (Neurology. 2006) "CONCLUSION: Lewy bodies (LBs) in the amygdala and in cortical areas increase the risk for major depression in Alzheimer disease. What is common in these two groups is the presence of LBs in the amygdala. That is, all of the cases with cortical LBs also had LBs in the amygdala, making this region the critical area for the development of depression."

Lewy body pathology in late-onset familial Alzheimer's disease: A clinicopathological case series. (J Alzheimers Dis. 2006) "Conclusions: Presence of significant AD pathology in one family member was highly predictive of similar pathology in other family members. However, despite the use of more sensitive SNCA immunohistochemistry, the presence of LBP was variable within all 7 families. Consistent with previous studies in sporadic and familial AD, the amygdala appeared to be the most vulnerable region for LBP in AD."

Marital Status and Living Situation During a 5-Year Period Are Associated With a Subsequent 10-Year Cognitive Decline in Older Men: The FINE Study. (J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2006) "Men who lost a partner, who were unmarried, who started to live alone, or who lived alone during the 5-year period had at least a two times stronger subsequent cognitive decline compared with men who were married or who lived with someone in those years."

Midlife Pulse Pressure and Incidence of Dementia (Stroke. 2006)

Mild cognitive impairment. (Lancet. 2006) "Some people with mild cognitive impairment seem to remain stable or return to normal over time, but more than half progress to dementia within 5 years. Mild cognitive impairment can thus be regarded as a risk state for dementia, and its identification could lead to secondary prevention by controlling risk factors such as systolic hypertension. The amnestic subtype of mild cognitive impairment has a high risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease, and it could constitute a prodromal stage of this disorder."

Mild cognitive impairment: risk of Alzheimer disease and rate of cognitive decline. (Neurology. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Mild cognitive impairment is associated with a greatly increased risk of incident Alzheimer disease and a more rapid rate of decline in cognitive function."

Neuropathologic Correlates of Activities of Daily Living in Alzheimer Disease. (Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 2006)

Oxidative imbalance in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. (Neurobiol Aging. 2006)

Oxidative stress and iron imbalance in Alzheimer disease: How rust became the fuss! (J Alzheimers Dis. 2006)

Phenomenology and Clinical Correlates of Delusions in Alzheimer Disease. (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006) "Conclusions: Anosognosia, depression, global cognitive deficits, and elevated mood are the main psychiatric correlates of paranoid misidentification and expansive delusions in AD, whereas overt aggression and agitation are the most frequent behavioral concomitants of psychosis in AD."

Prediction of Alzheimer's disease in mild cognitive impairment: A prospective study in Taiwan (Neurobiology of Aging 2006) "A poor global cognitive score may be more crucial than a small hippocampal volume in the prediction of AD."

Relationship between cognitive impairment and retinal morphological and visual functional abnormalities in Alzheimer disease. (J Neuroophthalmol. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms some other studies in showing that in AD patients there is a reduction of parapapillary and macular RNFL thickness and macular volume as measured by OCT. The reduction in macular volume was related to the severity of cognitive impairment."

Relationship between Delusions and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Alzheimer's Disease. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006)

Rethinking the dementia diagnoses in a population-based study: what is Alzheimer's disease and what is vascular dementia?. A study from the kungsholmen project. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006) "Conclusions: Both vascular and degenerative mechanisms may often contribute to the expression of dementia among the elderly. Most of the AD cases have vascular involvements, and pure dementia types in very old subjects constitute only a minority of dementia cases."

[Semantic dementia, a many-worded disorder.] (Rev Neurol. 2006)

Ten-year risk of dementia in subjects with mild cognitive impairment. (Neurology. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: The majority of subjects with MCI do not progress to dementia at the long term. Age strongly influences the dementia risk. MCI often represents the predementia stage of a neurodegenerative disorder in elderly subjects but rarely in younger subjects."

The effects of blood pressure lowering on development of cognitive impairment and dementia in patients without apparent prior cerebrovascular disease. (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006) "AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There was no convincing evidence from the trials identified that blood pressure lowering prevents the development of dementia or cognitive impairment in hypertensive patients with no apparent prior cerebrovascular disease. There were significant problems identified with analysing the data, however, due to the number of patients lost to follow-up and the number of placebo patients given active treatment. This introduced bias. More robust results may be obtained by analysing one year data to reduce differential drop-out or by conducting a meta-analysis using individual patient data."

The Prevalence of Autonomic Symptoms in Dementia and Their Association with Physical Activity, Activities of Daily Living and Quality of Life. (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006) "Conclusion: The burden of autonomic symptoms is high in non-Alzheimer's dementias. The identification of such symptoms is of importance because of the detrimental effect of these symptoms upon physical activity, depression, activities of daily living and quality of life."

The significance of thyroid-stimulating hormone and homocysteine in the development of Alzheimer's disease in mild cognitive impairment: a 6-year follow-up study. (Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2006)

Update on hypertension and Alzheimer's disease. (Neurol Res. 2006)

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