Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders
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Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyCognitive changes after surgery in the elderly: does minimally invasive surgery influence the incidence of postoperative cognitive changes compared to open colon surgery?
Postoperative delirium in the elderly is a growing concern. Data regarding significant differences in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly persons undergoing laparoscopic versus open colon resection are not well established. ⋯ In this pilot study, the average incidence of POCD was not statistically different between elderly subjects undergoing open versus laparoscopic surgery. Age did not influence the occurrence of POCD. Although inflammatory markers were significantly higher in the open group, consistent with a higher degree of stress response, this group did not have higher rates of delirium. This association is worth to be investigated in a larger sample.
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Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyDominant frontotemporal dementia mutations in 140 cases of primary progressive aphasia and speech apraxia.
Mutations in three genes [chromosome 9 open-reading-frame 72 (C9ORF72); microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and progranulin (GRN)] account for the vast majority of familial, and a proportion of sporadic, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases. Progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS) is a type of FTD characterized by speech production deficits without a known cause. ⋯ Although limited by an overrepresentation of logopenic PPA, which frequently predicts Alzheimer's disease pathology, this study suggests that mutations in the three genes most commonly associated with FTD are not associated with PAOS and are not commonly associated with PPA.
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Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord · Jan 2015
Multicenter StudyLow plasma ApoE levels are associated with smaller hippocampal size in the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative cohort.
Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype is the strongest known genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the utility of plasma ApoE levels for assessing the severity of underlying neurodegenerative changes remains uncertain. Here, we examined cross-sectional associations between plasma ApoE levels and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging indices of the hippocampus from 541 participants [57 with normal cognition (NC), 375 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 109 with mild AD] who were enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. ⋯ These associations were driven primarily by findings from carriers of an APOE ε4 allele and are consistent with prior reports that lower plasma ApoE levels correlate with greater global cortical Pittsburgh Compound B retention. In this high-risk group, plasma ApoE levels may represent a peripheral marker of underlying AD neuropathology in nondemented elderly individuals.
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Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord · Jan 2015
Pathological correlates of white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging.
We investigated the histopathological correlates of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or cerebrovascular disease, and in aged controls. ⋯ WMHs are consistent with small-vessel disease and increase the tissue water content. We found no association between WMHs and the thickness of small blood vessels.
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Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord · Jan 2015
Interactions between traumatic brain injury and frontotemporal degeneration.
Prior work in smaller cohorts suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be a risk factor for frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). We sought to confirm and extend these results using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. ⋯ TBI may increase the FTD risk and influence clinical symptomatology and severity in FTD subtypes.