Telomere length and ApoE polymorphism in mild cognitive impairment, degenerative and vascular dementia

Abstract Objective Studies that have used semantic fluency tasks to guide differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (ad) and vascular dementia (VaD) typically only examine the total number of words produced, which has yielded conflicting results. The present study examined whether other indices of semantic fluency (i.e., clustering and switching), which are thought to better isolate the components of semantic memory and executive functioning abilities, would discriminate among ad, VaD, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method A retrospective sample of 156 patients (mean age = 78.64; 76.3% female, 23.7% male; 26.9% White, 71.2% Black, 1.9% Other) who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation as part of a workup related to memory concerns and were diagnosed with ad, VaD, or MCI was utilized. Separate univariate analyses of variance were used to examine group differences on three indices of semantic fluency (animals): total words, mean cluster size, and number of switches. Results There was a significant main effect of group for total words [F(2,153) = 7.09, p = 0.001], mean cluster size [F(2, 153) = 3.44, p = 0.035] and number of switches [F(2,153) = 3.36, p = 0.037]. Bonferroni post-hoc tests revealed that the ad and VaD groups produced significantly fewer total words than the MCI group, the ad group produced significantly smaller clusters than the VaD group, and the VaD group produced significantly fewer switches than the MCI group. Conclusion Observed group differences suggest that clustering and switching may aid in discriminating between dementia etiologies. Future studies may benefit from examining the association between these fluency indices and performance on executive functioning and semantic knowledge tasks to better understand these findings.

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Living Longer Better

Increase your Brainability—and Reduce your Risk of Dementia ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198860341.003.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Charles Alessi ◽

Larry W. Chambers ◽

Muir Gray

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Vascular Dementia ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Activity ◽

Cognitive Ageing ◽

Brain Reserve ◽

Lay People ◽

Age Limit

Ageing is not a cause of major problems till the later nineties. The problems we fear—dementia, disability, and dependency are due to three other processes: loss of physical fitness, which starts long before old age, diseases, many of which are preventable, and pessimistic attitudes. Both lay people and our professional colleagues have difficulty with the meanings of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and cognitive ageing and use these terms in different ways, often incorrectly. Now is the time to use your assets—preserving and increasing your brain reserve to reduce your risk of dementia. The fitness gap can be closed at any age by increasing both physical and social activity. There is no upper age limit for prevention. The steps we recommend for reducing the risk of dementia will also help you reduce the risk of other diseases, keep you fitter, and help you feel better, and are equally relevant for people who have already developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

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Cognitive Impairment and Depression in Older Patients

10.1093/med/9780199959549.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Steinberg ◽

Paul B. Rosenberg

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

High Risk ◽

Vascular Dementia ◽

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Older Patients ◽

The Elderly ◽

Office Setting ◽

Early Manifestation

Depression, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in the elderly can present with similar features such as cognitive complaints, loss of initiative, and difficulties with psychosocial functioning. These can be difficult to distinguish in the office setting, especially when mild in severity. The relationships between the three syndromes remains incompletely understood. Patients with MCI are at high risk for conversion to dementia. Depression may be either a risk factor for or early manifestation of MCI. Depression in late life is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias, but the causal relationship remains controversial. Depression may also increase the risk of conversion from MCI to dementia and be more strongly associated with conversion to Vascular dementia (VaD) than to AD. This book will provide guidance to clinicians in the diagnosis and management of these complex conditions in the office setting.

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