Search results for "DEMENTIA"

Caring for People With Dementia Under COVID-19 Restrictions: A Pilot Study on Family Caregivers

2021

IntroductionThe present pilot study examined to what extent the COVID-19 lockdown affected the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in people with dementia and worsened their family caregivers’ distress. The associations between changes in the BPSD of relatives with dementia (RwD) and in their caregivers’ distress, and sense of social and emotional loneliness, and resilience were also investigated.Materials and MethodsThirty-five caregivers of RwD attending formal healthcare services before the COVID-19 lockdown volunteered for the study, and were interviewed by phone during the lockdown. Caregivers completed the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to assess their care reci…

Being the Family Caregiver of a Patient With Dementia During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lockdown

2021

Background: Family caregivers of patients with dementia are at high risk of stress and burden, and quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased the risk of psychological disturbances in this population. The current study was carried out during the national lockdown declared in March 2020 by the Italian government as a containment measure of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and is the first nationwide survey on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health of dementia informal caregivers.Methods: Eighty-seven dementia centers evenly distributed on the Italian territory enrolled 4,710 caregiver–patient pairs. Caregivers underwent a tel…

Awareness of Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021

Background: Identifying a poor degree of awareness of cognitive decline (ACD) could represent an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD).Objectives: (1) to understand whether there is evidence of poor ACD in the pre-dementia stages of AD; (2) to summarize the main findings obtained investigating ACD in AD; (3) to propose a conceptual framework.Data Sources: We searched Scopus, Pubmed, and the reference lists for studies published up to August 2020. Original research articles must report a measure of ACD and included individuals with AD dementia, or prodromal AD (or MCI), or being at risk for AD.Data Synthesis: All studies covering preclinical, prodromal, and AD dementia were systematica…

Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, multicentre study of idebenone in patients suffering from multi-infarct dementia

1992

Abstract In this randomized double-blind, placebo controlled, multicentre study on 108 elderly patients with mild to moderate mental deterioration of vascular origin, idebenone — a benzoquinone derivative with a hydroxyalkyl side chain — proved to be therapeutically effective in the treatment of multi-infarct dementia. The oral administration of idebenone 45 mg/day b.i.d. for 120 days significantly improved the scores of the following test in comparison with placebo: Mini Mental State, Randt Memory Test, Gottfries Rating Scale, Token Test, Toulouse Pieron Test, indicating improvements in memory attention and cognitivity. The drug was well tolerated and effective in patients with multi-infar…

Idebenone in senile dementia of Alzheimer type: A multicentre study

1992

Idebenone is a new cerebro-active drug, effective in dementia disorders, particularly indicated in primary degenerative dementias, i.e. Alzheimer's disease. This new molecule acts as an electron trapper and a free radical scavenger protecting mitochondrial membranes from lipid peroxidation. A multicentric, double-blind trial of idebenone (45 mg twice daily orally) vs. placebo was carried out on 102 elderly patients affected by Alzheimer-type dementia of mild or moderate severity. Idebenone was administered for 4 consecutive months, 45 mg twice daily. Clinical evaluations were performed at the time of enrollment (t0) and monthly thereafter (t30, t60, t90 and t120) and at follow-up (t150 ). T…

Microvascular brain damage with aging and hypertension

2011

Loss of cognitive function and hypertension are two common conditions in the elderly and both significantly contribute to loss of personal independency. Microvascular brain damage - the result of age-associated alteration in large arteries and the progressive mismatch of their cross-talk with small cerebral arteries - represents a potent risk factor for cognitive decline and for the onset of dementia in older individuals. The present review discusses the complexity of factors linking large artery to microvascular brain disease and to cognitive decline and the evidence for possible clinical markers useful for prevention of this phenomenon. The possibility of dementia prevention by cardiovasc…

Physical activity is associated with better global cognition and frontal function in overweight/obese older adults with metabolic syndrome

2019

Background There is epidemiological evidence of an association between the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors related to central adiposity and insulin resistance, and cognitive impairment and dementia. On the other hand, there is evidence for a beneficial effect of physical activity on cognitive outcomes in older adult populations. In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated the relationship between aerobic physical activity and cognition in a cohort of overweight/obese older adults with MetS at risk for dementia. Cognitive function was assessed in a subsample of 82 subjects (men 55–75 y; women 60–75 y), with MetS and a BMI ≥27 to < 40 kg/m2 enrolled in the PRE…

2021

Introduction: Functional imaging studies have demonstrated the recruitment of additional neural resources as a possible mechanism to compensate for age and Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cerebral pathology, the efficacy of which is potentially modulated by underlying structural network connectivity. Additionally, structural network efficiency (SNE) is associated with intelligence across the lifespan, which is a known factor for resilience to cognitive decline. We hypothesized that SNE may be a surrogate of the physiological basis of resilience to cognitive decline in elderly persons without dementia and with age- and AD-related cerebral pathology.Methods: We included 85 cognitively normal…

36 Altered Prefrontal Cortex Responses in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints and Dementia During Dual-Task Gait: An Fnirs Study

2019

Abstract In this study, we investigated the effects of walking during single-task and dual-task gait (STG and DTG) conditions, on left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation in older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC) and Dementia. A total of 72 older adults (aged 65-94 yrs; 33 Healthy; 28 SMC; 11 Dementia) were recruited from the community and assisted living facilities. A portable 7m zeno walkway gait analysis mat was used to measure stride, velocity, length and duration during 4 passes of STG and DTG each. A portable single-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device (Portalite, Artinis Medical Systems) was placed over the LPFC to measure changes in oxyhaemoglob…

La formazione del caregiver: un’indagine esplorativa sui bisogni e le competenze di chi si prende cura

2021

In Italy, most people with dementia are looked after by an informal caregiver and, due to the care burden and the lack of systematic-institutional support, they risk deleterious effects on psycho-physical well-being and on relational functionality with the assisted. Considering the ontological dimension of care, it is necessary to deepen the pedagogical implications deriving from the needs of the caregiver of people with Alzheimer Disease. The survey carried out based on the administration of two tools: the semi-structured interview addressed to the associations that in the Sicilian territory deal with family support and the check-list for conducting focus groups with cargivers, allowed the…