Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Alzheimer's Disease

MicroRNA biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease in serum exosome-like microvesicles

Predicting cognitive decline with deep learning of brain metabolism and amyloid imaging.

Purpose of the Study: To measure and describe the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Forest (VRF) on engagement, apathy,
and mood states of people with dementia, and explore the experiences of staff, people with dementia and their families.
Design and Methods: A mixed-methods study conducted between February and May 2016. Ten residents with dementia,
10 family members, and 9 care staff were recruited from 2 residential aged care facilities, operated by one care provider,
located in Victoria, Australia. Residents participated in one facilitated VRF session. Residents’ mood, apathy, and engagement
were measured by the Observed Emotion Rating Scale, Person–Environment Apathy Rating Scale, and Types of
Engagement. All participants were interviewed.
Results: Overall, the VRF was perceived by residents, family members, and staff to have a positive effect. During the VRF
experience, residents experienced more pleasure (p = .008) and a greater level of alertness (p < .001). They also experienced
a greater level of fear/anxiety during the forest experience than the comparative normative sample (p = .016).
Implications: This initial, small-scale study represents the first to introduce the VRF activity and describe the impact on
people with dementia. The VRF was perceived to have a positive effect on people with dementia, although, compared to the
normative sample, a greater level of fear/anxiety during the VRF was experienced. This study suggests virtual reality may
have the potential to improve quality of life, and the outcomes can be used to inform the development of future Virtual
Reality activities for people with dementia.

Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Forest on People With Dementia: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Comparison of neuroimaging modalities for the prediction of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's dementia

Dementia is a clinical syndrome of widespread progressive deterioration of cognitive abilities and normal daily functioning. These cognitive and behavioral impairments pose considerable challenges to individuals with dementia, along with their family members and caregivers. Four primary dementia classifications have been defined according to clinical and research criteria: 1) Alzheimer's disease; 2) vascular dementias; 3) frontotemporal dementias; and 4) dementia with Lewy bodies/Parkinson's disease dementia. The cumulative efforts of multidisciplinary healthcare teams have advanced our understanding of dementia beyond basic descriptions, towards a more complete elucidation of risk factors, clinical symptoms, and neuropathological correlates. The characterization of disease subtypes has facilitated targeted management strategies, advanced treatments, and symptomatic care for individuals affected by dementia. This review briefly summarizes the current state of knowledge and directions of dementia research and clinical practice. We provide a description of the risk factors, clinical presentation, and differential diagnosis of dementia. A summary of multidisciplinary team approaches to dementia care is outlined, including management strategies for the treatment of cognitive impairments, functional deficits, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. The needs of individuals with dementia are extensive, often requiring care beyond traditional bounds of medical practice, including pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic management interventions. Finally, advanced research on the early prodromal phase of dementia is reviewed, with a focus on change-point models, trajectories of cognitive change, and threshold models of pathological burden. Future research goals are outlined, with a call to action for social policy initiatives that promote preventive lifestyle behaviors, and healthcare programs that will support the growing number of individuals affected by dementia.

/pdf/clinical-features-and-multidisciplinary-approaches-to-129tutcfdk.pdf

Clinical features and multidisciplinary approaches to dementia care

Introduction: Recent theorizing differentiates key constraints on cognition, including one’s current range of processing efficiency (i.e., flexibility or inconsistency) as well as the capacity to expand flexibility over time (i.e., plasticity). The present study uses intensive assessment of response time data to examine the interplay between markers of intraindividual variability (inconsistency) and gains across biweekly retest sessions (plasticity) in relation to age-related cognitive function. Method: Participants included 304 adults (aged 64 to 92 years: M = 74.02, SD = 5.95) from Project MIND, a longitudinal burst design study assessing performance across micro and macro intervals (response latency trials, weekly bursts, annual retests). For two reaction time (RT) measures (choice RT and one-back choice RT), baseline measures of RT inconsistency (intraindividual standard deviation, ISD, across trials at the first testing session) and plasticity (within-person performance gains in average RT ac...

/pdf/comparing-individual-differences-in-inconsistency-and-137c9l2au2.pdf

Comparing individual differences in inconsistency and plasticity as predictors of cognitive function in older adults

similar magnitude. In AD, HV was most strongly associated with ADNIMem. Conclusions: Our memory composite score detected rates of change better than other candidate summary scores. It was the strongest predictor of conversion fromMCI to AD. ADNI-Mem was one of the measures best predicted by the CSF measures in MCI, and by Aß in AD. For MRI, ADNIMemwas competitivewith the ADAS-Cog. ADNI-Memmay serve as a better benchmark for sample size comparisons.

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/bitstream/handle/1828/3873/MSc%20Thesis_ProjectMIND_J%20Grand_Dec.13,2010_FINAL.pdf;sequence=1

Jacob H G Grand

Papers

Clinical features and multidisciplinary approaches to dementia care

Comparing individual differences in inconsistency and plasticity as predictors of cognitive function in older adults

Individual Differences in Cognitive Plasticity and Variability as Predictors of Cognitive Function in Older Adults