Relation between neuritic plaques and depressive state in Alzheimer's disease

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerben Meynen ◽  
Heleen Van Stralen ◽  
Jan H. Smit ◽  
Wouter Kamphorst ◽  
Dick F. Swaab ◽  
...  

Meynen G, Van Stralen H, Smit JH, Kamphorst W, Swaab DF, Hoogendijk WJG. Relation between neuritic plaques and depressive state in Alzheimer's disease.Background:To investigate for the first time in a prospective study the relationship between depressive state and the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, using a scale for depressive symptoms in dementia, while controlling for clinical severity of dementia.Method:Within the framework of a prospective longitudinal study of depression in Alzheimer's disease, patients with dementia underwent a clinical evaluation every six months during the last years of their lives, using the Cornell scale for depression in dementia to assess depressive symptoms and using the Functional Assessment Staging scale to control for clinical severity of dementia. The brains of 43 Alzheimer patients were obtained. The last clinical evaluations prior to death together with post-mortem neuropathology measures were analysed.Results:We found a correlation between the Cornell scores and the sum score for the density of neuritic plaques in the entire cortex (p = 0.027), and even stronger in the temporal cortex (p = 0.012). The observed correlations were independent of sex, age of death, clinical dementia severity and duration of Alzheimer's disease.Conclusions:This study shows a positive relationship between depressive state at time of death and the presence of neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease, which is independent of the clinical severity of dementia.

1997 ◽  
Vol 171 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio E. Starkstein ◽  
Erán Chemerinski ◽  
Liliana Sabe ◽  
Gabriela Kuzis ◽  
Gustavo Petracca ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe aim was to examine the longitudinal evolution of depression and anosognosia in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD).MethodSixty-two of a consecutive series of 116 AD patients that were examined with a structured psychiatric interview had a follow-up evaluation between one and two years after the initial evaluation.ResultsAt the initial evaluation 19% of the 62 patients had major depression, 34% had dysthymia, and 47% were not depressed. After a mean follow-up of 16 months, 58% of patients with major depression at the initial evaluation were still depressed, whereas only 28% of patients with initial dysthymia and 21% of the non-depressed patients were depressed at follow-up. During the follow-up period, all three groups showed similar declines in cognitive status and activities of daily living. At the initial evaluation, 39% of the patients had anosognosia, and there was a significant increment of anosognosia during the follow-up period.ConclusionsWhile dysthymia in AD is a brief emotional disorder, major depression is a longer-lasting mood change. Anosognosia is another prevalent disorder among AD patients, and increases with the progression of the illness.


Neurology ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Tierney ◽  
J. P. Szalai ◽  
W. G. Snow ◽  
R. H. Fisher ◽  
A. Nores ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Lehmann ◽  
Zsuzsanna Nagy ◽  
Suzanne Litchfield ◽  
Mario Cortina Borja ◽  
A. David Smith

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent J. Small ◽  
Agneta Herlitz ◽  
Laura Fratiglioni ◽  
Ove Almkvist ◽  
Lars Bäckman

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e039601
Author(s):  
Joyce Bosmans ◽  
Cathérine Jorissen ◽  
Patrick Cras ◽  
Angelique Van Ombergen ◽  
Sebastiaan Engelborghs ◽  
...  

IntroductionDementia is a prevalent disease affecting a growing number of the ageing population. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Previous research investigated the link between hearing loss and cognition, and the effect of vestibular dysfunction on cognition. Hearing loss and, to a lesser extent, vestibular decline both result in a decreasing cognitive function. However, their interaction should not be underestimated. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of hearing loss, vestibular decline and their interaction on cognition in people suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia due to AD (ADD).Methods and analysisWe designed a prospective longitudinal study to assess the effect of hearing loss and vestibular decline on cognition. A total of 100 cognitively impaired elderly (between 55 and 84 years of age), consisting of 60 patients with MCI due to AD and 40 patients with ADD will be included. The control group will consist of individuals with preserved cognition group-matched based on age, hearing level and vestibular function. A comprehensive assessment is performed at baseline, 12-month and 24-month follow-ups. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status adjusted for Hearing-impaired individuals total score, a cognitive test battery assessing different cognitive domains. Secondary outcome measures include additional neuropsychological assessments, cortical auditory-evoked potentials, and evaluation of general and disease-specific health-related quality of life. Variables include cognitive, audiological and vestibular evaluation. Variance analyses will assess the effect of hearing loss and vestibular decline on cognition. More precisely, the link between hearing loss and non-spatial cognitive functioning, the effect of vestibular decline on spatial cognition and the impact of both factors on the rate of conversion from MCI due to AD to ADD will be investigated.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the Antwerp University Hospital on 4 February 2019 with protocol number B300201938949. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04385225).


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hee-Jeong Jeong ◽  
Young-Min Lee ◽  
Je-Min Park ◽  
Byung-Dae Lee ◽  
Eunsoo Moon ◽  
...  

Background: A long-term follow-up study in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is needed to elucidate the association between regional brain volume and psychopathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease with psychosis (AD + P). Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the thickness of the angular cingulate cortex (ACC) on the risk of AD + P conversion in patients with aMCI. Methods: This was a hospital-based prospective longitudinal study including 174 patients with aMCI. The main outcome measure was time-to-progression from aMCI to AD + P. Subregions of the ACC (rostral ACC, rACC; caudal ACC, cACC) and hippocampus (HC) were measured as regions of interest with magnetic resonance imaging and the Freesurfer analysis at baseline. Survival analysis with time to incident AD + P as an event variable was calculated with Cox proportional hazards models using the subregions of the ACC and HC as a continuous variable. Results: Cox proportional hazard analyses showed that the risk of AD + P was associated with sub-regional ACC thickness but not HC volume: reduced cortical thickness of the left cACC (HR [95%CI], 0.224 [0.087–0.575], p = 0.002), right cACC (HR [95%CI], 0.318 [0.132–0.768], p = 0.011). This association of the cACC with the risk of AD also remained significant when adjusted for HC volume. Conclusion: We found that reduced cortical thickness of the cACC is a predictor of aMCI conversion to AD + P, independent of HC, suggesting that the ACC plays a vital role in the underlying pathogenesis of AD + P.


1998 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine M. Heffernan ◽  
Sharon L. Eastwood ◽  
Zsuzsanna Nagy ◽  
Maurice W. Sanders ◽  
Brendan McDonald ◽  
...  

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