Search results for "DEMENTIA"

Familiarity-based recognition in the young, healthy elderly, mild cognitive impaired and Alzheimer's patients

2009

This study investigates the possible existence of deficits in familiarity in five samples of participants spanning a broad range of ages and cognitive states. Five groups of 16 participants with a diagnosis of multi-domain cognitive impairment with a slight or no deficit in memory, 16 multi-domain amnestic, and 16 Alzheimer's disease patients were compared in a recognition test with equivalent samples of old and young healthy participants. In one of the tests, participants studied words extracted from a restricted set of letters of the alphabet that were later mixed with new words from a different set. The unconscious use of the fluency produced by the repeated use of the set of letters was…

The neuropsychology of variant CJD: a comparative study with inherited and sporadic forms of prion disease.

2005

Objective: To assess cognitive function in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). We describe the neuropsychological profiles of 10 cases and compare these data with cross sectional data obtained from patients with histologically confirmed sporadic CJD and cases with inherited prion disease with confirmed mutations in the prion protein gene. Methods: Patients referred to the Specialist Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the National Prion Clinic at St Mary's Hospital, London for further investigation of suspected CJD were recruited into the study. The neuropsychological test battery evaluated general intelligence, visual and verbal memo…

Distinct neuropsychological profiles correspond to distribution of cortical thinning in inherited prion disease caused by insertional mutation

2012

Background The human prion diseases are a group of universally fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with the auto-catalytic misfolding of the normal cell surface prion protein (PrP). Mutations causative of inherited human prion disease (IPD) include an insertion of six additional octapeptide repeats (6-OPRI) and a missense mutation (P102L) with large families segregating for each mutation residing in southern England. Here we report for the first time the neuropsychological and clinical assessments in these two groups. Method The cognitive profiles addressing all major domains were obtained for 26 patients (18 6-OPRI, 8 P102L) and the cortical thickness determined using 1.5T MRI in …

Pancreatic encephalopathy: a 7-year follow-up case report and review of the literature

2003

Pancreatic encephalopathy is a rare complication of acute pancreatitis. Clinical features include focal neurological signs and acute onset of dementia. This picture can fluctuate over time: cyclic progression with remission and relapses has been described. We present the case of a 43-year-old man who, after an acute episode of pancreatitis, experienced five relapses, with alternating focal signs. The patient has improved, but cognitive impairment persists after a 7-year follow-up.

Does angioedema influence the quality of life in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria?

2019

Enabling resources in people with dementia: a qualitative study about nurses’ strategies that may support a sense of coherence in people with dementia

2015

Aims and objectives To explore nurses’ strategies that may support the sense of coherence in people with dementia. Background People with dementia are often described as people with no resources, people who need support from family or from healthcare personnel to function in everyday life. Despite the disease, some people still have the resources needed to cope well with parts of their lives and experience coherence. To date, no research has explored any nurses’ strategies that may support the sense of coherence in people with dementia. Design The design of the study is qualitative and exploratory. Methods Data were collected by participant observation and focus group interviews. Sixteen re…

Moral reasoning and moral conflict in patients of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – Frontotemporal dementia spectrum

2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the moral reasoning and moral conflict in patients of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – frontotemporal dementia (ALSFTD) spectrum. Ten ALS patients without cognitive impairment, 10 ALS patients with cognitive or behavioral impairment, 10 ALSFTD patients and 23 controls were examined with neuropsychological and behavioral tests as well as with a set of eight well -designed moral dilemmas. The responses to the moral dilemmas were used as proxies to evaluate interpersonal moral reasoning. Reactivity to change, reaction time and arousal were used as markers of moral conflict. ALSFTD patients showed more “utilitarian” responses and less moral conflict t…

What motivates arrangements of dog visits in nursing homes? Experiences by dog handlers and nurses

2017

Abstract Introduction Dog visits to nursing homes are used as a structured approach for enhancing residents' well-being. Few studies have emphasized the perspectives of the organizers. The purpose of the present study was to gain insight into the experiences of volunteer dog handlers and nurses involved in dog visits to nursing homes, focusing on what motivated them to contribute and identifying possible factors to successful dog visits. Methods Individual, in-depth interviews with eight dog handlers and group interviews with 10 nurses from four nursing homes. Results Feelings of meaningfulness and joy motivated both the dog handlers and nurses to arrange dog visits to nursing homes. Succes…

Glycerophosphocholine is elevated in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer patients.

2003

Experimental and clinical studies give evidence for breakdown of membrane phospholipids during neurodegeneration. In the present study, we measured the levels of glycerophosphocholine (GPCh), phosphocholine (PCh), and choline, that is, water-soluble metabolites of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Among 30 cognitively normal patients the average CSF levels of GPCh, phosphocholine and choline were 3.64, 1.28, and 1.93 microM, respectively; metabolite levels did not change with increasing age. When compared with age-matched controls, patients with Alzheimer's disease had elevated levels of all choline metabolites: GPCh was significantly increased by 76% (P<0.01…

All-cause and disease-specific mortality among male, former elite athletes: an average 50-year follow-up.

2014

Aim To investigate life expectancy and mortality among former elite athletes and controls. Methods HR analysis of cause-specific deaths sourced from the national death registry for former Finnish male endurance, team and power sports athletes (N=2363) and controls (N=1657). The median follow-up time was 50 years. Results Median life expectancy was higher in the endurance (79.1 years, 95% CI 76.6 to 80.6) and team (78.8, 78.1 to 79.8) sports athletes than in controls (72.9, 71.8 to 74.3). Compared to controls, risk for total mortality adjusted for socioeconomic status and birth cohort was lower in the endurance ((HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.79)) and team (0.80, 0.72 to 0.89) sports athletes, a…