scholarly journals Neural asymmetry during memory encoding and its association with markers of preclinical Alzheimers Disease

Author(s):  
Jinhang Li ◽  
Elizabeth J Mountz ◽  
Akiko Mizuno ◽  
Ashti M Shah ◽  
Andrea Weinstein ◽  
...  

Background: Alzheimers Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by cognitive dysfunction that impacts daily functioning. Beta-amyloid (Ab) is a cytotoxic protein that deposits in the brain many years prior to the onset of cognitive dysfunction. The preclinical period is a stage of AD in which significant pathology is present without clinical symptoms. Ab has been shown to deposit asymmetrically early in the AD trajectory, which has shown to have functional consequences (e.g., asymmetric hypometabolism). We aimed to investigate whether markers of AD and cognitive function were correlated with neural activation asymmetry during memory encoding tasks. Methods: We recruited participants who were cognitively normal to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and cognitive testing. We conducted analyses to identify regions of significant activation during a well-established face-name pair memory encoding task, and to identify regions of significant asymmetry. We then computed hemispheric asymmetry (negative/positive values indicate left/right asymmetry, respectively) and absolute asymmetry (greater values indicate greater asymmetry in either hemisphere) and investigated their associations with age, sex, education, global cerebral amyloid, global cerebral metabolism, memory encoding task performance, white matter hyperintensities, and multiple domains of cognitive function. Results: We identified expected regions of significant activation, including the hippocampus, and identified four regions with significant left-hemisphere asymmetry: superior medial frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, supplemental motor area, and medial orbitofrontal gyrus, and two regions with significant right hemisphere asymmetry: putamen and ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus. We found that greater left-hemisphere asymmetry in the middle frontal gyrus was correlated with greater global cerebral glucose metabolism. We also found that better performance in memory, learning, and executive attention was associated with greater absolute symmetry in the thalamus, while better visuospatial performance was associated with greater putamen absolute symmetry. Discussion: Functional asymmetry is correlated with functional markers (e.g., glucose metabolism) in older cognitively normal adults and may reflect metabolic and cognitive changes. Longitudinal studies may help us better understand these associations and the causal impact of neural activation asymmetry.

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rigas G. Kalaitzidis ◽  
Thalia Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Dimitrios Stagikas ◽  
Kosmas Pappas ◽  
Olga Balafa ◽  
...  

:The incidence of hypertension (HTN) and its cardiovascular (CV) complications are increasing throughout the world. Blood pressure (BP) control remains unsatisfactory worldwide. Medical inertia and poor adherence to treatment are among the factors that can partially explain, why BP control rate remains low. The introduction of a method for measuring the degree of adherence to a given medication is now a prerequisite. Complex treatment regimes, inadequate tolerance and frequent replacements of pharmaceutical formulations are the most common causes of poor adherence. In contrast, the use of stable combinations of antihypertensive drugs leads to improved patient adherence.:We aim to review the relationships between arterial stiffness, cognitive function and adherence to medication in patients with HTN.:Large artery stiffening can lead to HTN. In turn, arterial stiffness induced by HTN is associated with an increased CV and stroke risk. In addition, HTN can induce disorders of brain microcirculation resulting in cognitive dysfunction. Interestingly, memory cognitive dysfunction leads to a reduced adherence to drug treatment. Compliance with antihypertensive treatment improves BP control and arterial stiffness indices. Early treatment of arterial stiffness is strongly recommended for enhanced cognitive function and increased adherence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1271.1-1272
Author(s):  
S. Derham ◽  
J. Lewis ◽  
E. Dures ◽  
F. Cramp

Background:Adults with fibromyalgia frequently report symptoms of cognitive dysfunction, often referred to as fibrofog. However primary research exploring cognitive dysfunction in the lives of adults with fibromyalgia is very limited (Kravitz and Katz, 2015).Objectives:The aim of this review was to (i) synthesise the qualitative literature on the lived experiences of cognitive dysfunction in adults with fibromyalgia, (ii) develop common themes through thematic analysis and (iii) identify knowledge gaps to inform future research and clinical practice in this area.Methods:Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Amed, Scopus and OpenGrey), reference lists of key articles and two high impact qualitative journals were searched from 1990 to November 2018. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they reported primary qualitative data exploring the experiences of cognitive dysfunction in adults with fibromyalgia. Included studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) qualitative checklist and extracted data analysed using narrative synthesis. SD conducted critical appraisal and data extraction on all included studies. FC, JL and ED reviewed five papers each. All papers were reviewed by two co-authors. Of the 1413 records identified, 15 studies were selected for inclusion.Results:These studies included 208 women and 22 men with fibromyalgia, aged 18 to 72 years and representing seven different countries. Duration of diagnosis was four months to 34 years. Fourteen studies used interviews and one used focus groups. None of the included studies focussed exclusively on cognitive function in adults with fibromyalgia. Three studies identified themes specific to cognitive dysfunction and fibromyalgia symptoms. The remaining 12 studies presented relevant data intertwined with the overall lived experiences of fibromyalgia.Cognitive dysfunction, as a part of fibromyalgia, was often unpredictable. Problems with memory and concentration that were most commonly reported were emotionally distressing and affected functional and vocational activities. Participants found communication effortful, with a negative impact on work, leisure and social activities. Stress, fear and worry around perceived cognitive changes were commonly expressed. Lost employment or changed work roles and relationships, due to cognitive difficulties, had negative impacts for many participants. The terms cognitive dysfunction and fibrofog were used interchangeably within the studies, but lacked common definition. This introduced uncertainty around whether participants and authors were describing the same phenomenon.Conclusion:Adults with fibromyalgia experience unpredictable and emotionally impactful difficulties related to cognitive dysfunction. Functional impact was broad-reaching, particularly around work ability and lost employment opportunities. It is unclear how cognitive symptoms in fibromyalgia related to co-morbid symptoms such as pain, fatigue and poor sleep. Further research focusing on the full impact of cognitive function on the lives of adults with fibromyalgia is recommended to inform clinical practice. Research to establish clarity of definition of the terms cognitive dysfunction and fibrofog within fibromyalgia is highly recommended.References:[1]Kravitz H, Katz R. Fibrofog and fibromyalgia: a narrative review and implications for clinical practice. Rheumatology International. 2015;35(7):1115-25.Acknowledgments:This work is supported by the National Institute for Heath Research [ICA-PCAF-2018-01-078 to SD]Disclosure of Interests:Sandra Derham: None declared, Jenny Lewis: None declared, Emma Dures Grant/research support from: Independent Learning Grant from Pfizer, combined funding for a research fellow from Celgene, Abbvie and Novartis, Paid instructor for: A fee from Novartis to deliver training to nurses., Fiona Cramp: None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. S65-S66
Author(s):  
Ashti Shah ◽  
Akiko Mizuno ◽  
Linghai Wang ◽  
Andrea Weinstein ◽  
Howard Aizenstein

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed W. Zakaria ◽  
Reem I. El-Korashy ◽  
Mostafa O. Shaheen ◽  
Samah Selim ◽  
Kwashi J. Amum

Abstract Background Cognitive dysfunction in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) is an important clinical co-morbidity that is associated with impaired lung function. The aim of the work is to assess cognitive function in major IIP and to find out the relation between cognitive dysfunction and the oxygenation parameters. Results Fifty individuals were involved in the study; 30 patients with major IIP and 20 healthy individuals. Patients with IIP had significantly lower mini mental state examination (MMSE) score compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Wechsler Deterioration Index (WDI) revealed that 33.3% (n = 10) of the patients with IIP had sure cognitive impairment and 26.6% (n = 8) had ongoing cognitive deterioration. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) had lower cognitive function than other IIP. Conclusion There is an impairment of cognitive function in patients with major IIP, particularly in IPF, as measured by WDI and MMSE. Further large studies are needed to assess the possible predictors of cognitive impairment and their effects on the patients’ outcome.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 894-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna A. Ezhevskaya ◽  
Alexei M. Ovechkin ◽  
Zhanna B. Prusakova ◽  
Valery I. Zagrekov ◽  
Sergey G. Mlyavykh ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVESurgical trauma is known to result in systemic inflammatory changes that can lead to postoperative cognitive dysfunction. In the present study, the authors compared the effects of an epidural anesthesia protocol to those of traditional anesthesia with regard to postoperative inflammatory changes, cellular immunity, and cognitive dysfunction.METHODSForty-eight patients, ages 45–60 years, underwent multilevel thoracolumbar decompression and fusion and were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (27 patients) had combined epidural and general anesthesia, followed by epidural analgesia for 48 hours after surgery, and group 2 (21 patients) had general anesthesia, followed by traditional opioid pain management after surgery. At multiple time points, data on pain control, cognitive function, cellular immunity, and inflammatory markers were collected.RESULTSGroup 1 patients demonstrated lower pain levels, less systemic inflammation, less cellular immune dysfunction, and less postoperative cognitive dysfunction than group 2 patients.CONCLUSIONSThe use of combined epidural and general anesthesia followed by postoperative epidural analgesia during the first 48 hours after multilevel thoracolumbar decompression and fusion surgery had a significant positive effect on pain management, cellular immune function, systemic inflammation, and postoperative cognitive function.Clinical trial registration no.: 115080510080 (http://rosrid.ru)


Open Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001569
Author(s):  
Fredrike Blokzijl ◽  
Frederik Keus ◽  
Saskia Houterman ◽  
Willem Dieperink ◽  
Iwan C C van der Horst ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the influence of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on both postoperative cognitive dysfunction and quality of life (QoL) and the association between the two patient-related outcomes.MethodsIn a prospective, observational cohort study, patients with elective, isolated CABG were included. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cogstate computerised cognitive test battery preoperatively, 3 days and 6 months after surgery. QoL was measured preoperatively and at 6 months using the RAND-36 questionnaire including the Physical Component Score (PCS) and the Mental Component Score (MCS). Regression analysis, with adjustment for confounders, was used to evaluate the association between postoperative cognitive dysfunction and QoL.ResultsA total of 142 patients were included in the study. Evidence of persistent cognitive dysfunction was observed in 33% of patients after 6 months. At 6 months, the PCS had improved in 59% and decreased in 21% of patients, and the MCS increased in 49% and decreased in 29%. Postoperative cognitive changes were not associated with QoL scores.ConclusionsPostoperative cognitive dysfunction and decreased QoL are common 6 months after surgery, although cognitive function and QoL were found to have improved in many patients at 6 months of follow-up. Impaired cognitive function is not associated with impaired QoL at 6 months.Trial registration numberNCT03774342.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 293-293
Author(s):  
Qiaoqin Wan ◽  
Xiuxiu Huang ◽  
Xiaoyan Zhao ◽  
Bei Li ◽  
Ying Cai ◽  
...  

Abstract With the accelerating progress of population aging, cognitive dysfunction is becoming increasingly prevalent. Exercise, as a promising non-pharmaceutical therapy, showed favorable effects on cognitive function. But which type is the most effective exercise treatment is still unclear. This study compared the efficacy of different types of exercise interventions based on network meta-analysis and aimed to explore the optimal exercise treatment for cognitive decline. The electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, SPORTDiscus, PsycInfoy, and OpenGrey were searched from inception to September 2019. We only included randomized controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of exercise interventions in people with MCI or dementia. Primary outcomes were global cognition, executive function and memory function. Standard mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to estimate the effect sizes. Finally, 73 articles with 5748 participants were included. The results showed all kinds of exercise interventions were effective on global cognition and resistance exercise was probably the most effective exercise treatment to prevent the decrease of global cognition (SMD=1.05, 95%CI 0.56-1.54), executive function (SMD=0.85, 95%CI 0.21-1.49) and memory function (SMD=0.32, 95%CI 0.01-0.63) for people with cognitive dysfunction. Subgroup analysis revealed multi-component exercise showed more favorable effects on global cognition (SMD=0.99, 95%CI 0.44-1.54) and executive function (SMD=0.72, 95%CI 0.06-1.38) in people with MCI. In conclusion, resistance exercise tended to be the optimal exercise type for people with cognitive dysfunction, especially for people with dementia. And multi-component exercise also should be recommended for people with MCI.


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