Facial expression recognition in Alzheimer’s disease: a longitudinal study

Facial recognition is one of the most important aspects of social cognition. In this study, we investigate the patterns of change and the factors involved in the ability to recognize emotion in mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Through a longitudinal design, we assessed 30 people with AD. We used an experimental task that includes matching expressions with picture stimuli, labelling emotions and emotionally recognizing a stimulus situation. We observed a significant difference in the situational recognition task (p ≤ 0.05) between baseline and the second evaluation. The linear regression showed that cognition is a predictor of emotion recognition impairment (p ≤ 0.05). The ability to perceive emotions from facial expressions was impaired, particularly when the emotions presented were relatively subtle. Cognition is recruited to comprehend emotional situations in cases of mild dementia.

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FACIAL EXPRESSION RECOGNITION IN MILD AND MODERATE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

10.5327/1980-5764.rpda006 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marcia Dourado ◽

José Pedro Simões Neto ◽

Gilberto Alves ◽

Cândida Alves

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Facial Expression ◽

Facial Expression Recognition ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

Expression Recognition ◽

Global Score ◽

Picture Stimuli ◽

And Task

Background: Facial expression recognition is essential for social cognition. Objectives: To compare facial expression recognition in mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and identify the cognitive and clinical factors associated with impairment according to disease severity. Methods: Participants with AD (n=52). FACES includes four subtasks: matching expressions with picture stimuli (tasks1and 2), labelling emotions (task 3) and recognizing emotional situations (task 4). Results: There were significant differences between groups in FACES global score, task 2 and task 4. In mild AD, FACES global score was related to educational level and cognition; comprehension and constructive praxis impacted task 1; cognitive flexibility impacted task 2, and task 3 was related to word finding. There were no significant associations in task 4 after adjusting for level of cognition. The moderate AD group showed that awareness of emotional state was related to FACES global score, constructive praxis impacted task 2, task 3 was related to neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the ability to recognize emotions through situations impacted task 4. There was no significant associations in task 2, after adjusting for level of cognition. Conclusions: There are emotional processing difficulties across AD stages. However, there was no influence of cognitive impairment in the recognition of emotional situations in both groups.

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Picture Recognition Errors in the Differential Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie ◽

10.1024/1016-264x/a000263 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 157-168

Author(s):

Helmut Hildebrandt ◽

Jana Schill ◽

Jana Bördgen ◽

Andreas Kastrup ◽

Paul Eling

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Clinical Diagnosis ◽

Response Bias ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Discriminatory Power ◽

False Alarms ◽

Picture Recognition ◽

Recognition Errors

Abstract. This article explores the possibility of differentiating between patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and patients with other kinds of dementia by focusing on false alarms (FAs) on a picture recognition task (PRT). In Study 1, we compared AD and non-AD patients on the PRT and found that FAs discriminate well between these groups. Study 2 served to improve the discriminatory power of the FA score on the picture recognition task by adding associated pairs. Here, too, the FA score differentiated well between AD and non-AD patients, though the discriminatory power did not improve. The findings suggest that AD patients show a liberal response bias. Taken together, these studies suggest that FAs in picture recognition are of major importance for the clinical diagnosis of AD.

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Characteristics of Insulin-degrading Enzyme in Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Current Alzheimer Research ◽

10.2174/1567205015666180119105446 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (7) ◽

pp. 610-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Huifeng Zhang ◽

Dan Liu ◽

Huanhuan Huang ◽

Yujia Zhao ◽

Hui Zhou

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Enzyme Activity ◽

Protein Level ◽

Senile Plaque ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Insulin Degrading Enzyme ◽

Degrading Enzyme ◽

Significant Difference

Background: β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulates abnormally to senile plaque which is the initiator of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As one of the Aβ-degrading enzymes, Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) remains controversial for its protein level and activity in Alzheimer's brain. Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, OVID and Sinomed were systemically searched up to Sep. 20th, 2017. And the published case-control or cohort studies were retrieved to perform the meta-analysis. Results: Seven studies for IDE protein level (AD cases = 293; controls = 126), three for mRNA level (AD cases = 138; controls = 81), and three for enzyme activity (AD cases = 123; controls = 75) were pooling together. The IDE protein level was significantly lower in AD cases than in controls (SMD = - 0.47, 95% CI [-0.69, -0.24], p < 0.001), but IDE mRNA and enzyme activity had no significant difference (SMD = 0.02, 95% CI [-0.40, 0.43] and SMD = 0.06, 95% CI [-0.41, 0.53] respectively). Subgroup analyses found that IDE protein level was decreased in both cortex and hippocampus of AD cases (SMD = -0.43, 95% CI [-0.71, -0.16], p = 0.002 and SMD = -0.53, 95% CI [-0.91, -0.15], p = 0.006 respectively). However, IDE mRNA was higher in cortex of AD cases (SMD = 0.71, 95% CI [0.14, 1.29], p = 0.01), not in hippocampus (SMD = -0.26, 95% CI [-0.58, 0.06]). Conclusions: Our results indicate that AD patients may have lower IDE protease level. Further relevant studies are still needed to verify whether IDE is one of the factors affecting Aβ abnormal accumulation and throw new insights for AD detection or therapy.

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Donepezil Combined with DL-3-n-Butylphthalide Delays Cognitive Decline in Patients with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Multicenter, Prospective Cohort Study

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-201381 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (2) ◽

pp. 673-681

Author(s):

Jin Wang ◽

Xiaojuan Guo ◽

Wenhui Lu ◽

Jie Liu ◽

Hong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Daily Living ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Vascular factors and mitochondria dysfunction contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) has an effect in protecting mitochondria and improving microcirculation. Objective: The aim was to investigate the effect of donepezil combined NBP therapy in patients with mild-moderate AD. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study. 92 mild-moderate AD patients were classified into the donepezil alone group (n = 43) or the donepezil combined NBP group (n = 49) for 48 weeks. All patients were evaluated with Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change plus caregiver input (CIBIC-plus), Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) every 12 weeks. All patients were monitored for adverse events (AEs). The efficacy was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the changes of ADAS-cog score (OR = 2.778, 95% CI: [1.087, 7. 100], p = 0.033) and ADCS-ADL score (OR = 2.733, 95% CI: [1.002, 7.459], p = 0.049) had significant difference between donepezil alone group and donepezil combined NBP group, while the changes of NPI (OR = 1.145, 95% CI: [0.463, 2.829], p = 0.769), MMSE (OR = 1.563, 95% CI: [0.615, 3.971], p = 0.348) and CIBIC-plus (OR = 2.593, 95% CI: [0.696, 9.685], p = 0.156) had no significant difference. The occurrence of AEs was similar in the two groups. Conclusion: Over the 48-week treatment period, donepezil combined NBP group had slower cognitive decline and better activities of daily living in patients with mild to moderate AD. These indicated that the multi-target therapeutic effect of NBP may be a new choice for AD treatment.

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Breast Cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and APOE4 Allele in the UK Biobank Cohort

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease Reports ◽

10.3233/adr-200266 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 49-53

Author(s):

Steven Lehrer ◽

Peter H. Rheinstein

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Apoe Genotype ◽

Uk Biobank ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Apoe4 Allele ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Uk ◽

Cognitive Problems

Background: Cognitive problems are common in breast cancer patients. The apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), may be associated with cancer-related cognitive decline. Objective: To further evaluate the effects of the APOE4 allele, we studied a cohort of patients from the UK Biobank (UKB) who had breast cancer; some also had AD. Methods: Our analysis included all subjects with invasive breast cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for rs 429358 and rs 7412 was used to determine APOE genotypes. Cognitive function as numeric memory was assessed with an online test (UKB data field 20240). Results: We analyzed data from 2,876 women with breast cancer. Of the breast cancer subjects, 585 (20%) carried the APOE4 allele. Numeric memory scores were significantly lower in APOE4 carriers and APOE4 homozygotes than non-carriers (p = 0.046). 34 breast cancer subjects (1.1%) had AD. There was no significant difference in survival among genotypes ɛ3/ɛ3, ɛ3/ɛ4, and ɛ4/ɛ4. Conclusion: UKB data suggest that cognitive problems in women with breast cancer are, for the most part, mild, compared with other sequelae of the disease. AD, the worst cognitive problem, is relatively rare (1.1%) and, when it occurs, APOE genotype has little impact on survival.

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Saffron for mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies ◽

10.1186/s12906-020-03102-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zahra Ayati ◽

Guoyan Yang ◽

Mohammad Hossein Ayati ◽

Seyed Ahmad Emami ◽

Dennis Chang

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Daily Living ◽

Randomised Clinical Trials ◽

Disease Assessment ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Background Saffron (stigma of Crocus sativus L.) from Iridaceae family is a well-known traditional herbal medicine that has been used for hundreds of years to treat several diseases such as depressive mood, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Recently, anti-dementia property of saffron has been indicated. However, the effects of saffron for the management of dementia remain controversial. The aim of the present study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of saffron in treating mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Methods An electronic database search of some major English and Chinese databases was conducted until 31st May 2019 to identify relevant randomised clinical trials (RCT). The primary outcome was cognitive function and the secondary outcomes included daily living function, global clinical assessment, quality of life (QoL), psychiatric assessment and safety. Rev-Man 5.3 software was applied to perform the meta-analyses. Results A total of four RCTs were included in this review. The analysis revealed that saffron significantly improves cognitive function measured by the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sums of Boxes (CDR-SB), compared to placebo groups. In addition, there was no significant difference between saffron and conventional medicine, as measured by cognitive scales such as ADAS-cog and CDR-SB. Saffron improved daily living function, but the changes were not statistically significant. No serious adverse events were reported in the included studies. Conclusions Saffron may have the potential to improve cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, due to limited high-quality studies there is insufficient evidence to make any recommendations for clinical use. Further clinical trials on larger sample sizes are warranted to shed more light on its efficacy and safety.

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C-338A Polymorphism of the Endothelin-Converting Enzyme (ECE-1) Gene and the Susceptibility to Sporadic Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Coronary Artery Disease

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2008/578304 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 175-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Renato Scacchi ◽

Giuseppe Gambina ◽

Elisabetta Broggio ◽

Maria Ruggeri ◽

Rosa Maria Corbo

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Coronary Artery Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Late Onset ◽

Protective Role ◽

Converting Enzyme ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Endothelin Converting Enzyme ◽

Artery Disease

The human endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) is involved inβ-amyloid synthesis and regulation of the endothelin-1 (ET-1) vasoconstricting peptide. We investigated the distribution of the C-338A polymorphism of the ECE-1b gene in sporadic late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) and in coronary artery disease (CAD) to verify its role in the onset of these two complex diseases. Two cohorts of 458 Italian Caucasian LOAD patients and 165 CAD patients were examined for the C-338A polymorphism and compared with respective control samples (260 and 106 subjects, respectively). The A allele was less present in LOAD patients than in controls, but an at limits statistically significant difference was achieved only in subjects aged less than 80 years, where only the AA genotypes appeared to have a protective role against the onset of the sporadic LOAD. For the overall CAD sample the pattern was similar and significant differences were observed only in subjects non carrying the apolipoprotein E (APOE) e*4 allele, where the A allele carrying genotypes had a protective role against the onset of the disease.

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Alterations in T-Cell Transcription Factors and Cytokine Gene Expression in Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210480 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Masoud Neshan ◽

Seyed Kazem Malakouti ◽

Leila Kamalzadeh ◽

Mina Makvand ◽

Arezoo Campbell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Transcription Factors ◽

T Cell ◽

Late Onset ◽

Cytokine Gene Expression ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Ifn Γ

Background: Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) is associated with many environmental and genetic factors. The effect of systemic inflammation on the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD has been strongly suggested. T helper cells (Th) are one of the important components of the immune system and can easily infiltrate the brain in pathological conditions. The development of each Th-subset depends on the production of unique cytokines and their main regulator. Objective: This study aimed to compare the mRNA levels of Th-related genes derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of LOAD patients with control. Also, the identification of the most important Th1/Th2 genes and downstream pathways that may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD was followed by computational approaches. Methods: This study invloved 30 patients with LOAD and 30 non-demented controls. The relative expression of T-cell cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-5) and transcription factors (T-bet and GATA-3) were assessed using real-time PCR. Additionally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) was investigated by gene network construction. Results: A significant decrease at T-bet, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and GATA-3 mRNA levels was detected in the LOAD group, compared to the controls. However, there was no significant difference in IL-4 or IL-5 mRNA levels. Network analysis revealed a list of the highly connected protein (hubs) related to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and Th17 cell differentiation pathways. Conclusion: The findings point to a molecular dysregulation in Th-related genes, which can promising in the early diagnosis or targeted interventions of AD. Furthermore, the PPI analysis showed that upstream off-target stimulation may involve MAPK cascade activation and Th17 axis induction.

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Functional communication ability in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer's disease

Dementia & Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1590/s1980-57642009dn20100007 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 31-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isabel Albuquerque M. de Carvalho ◽

Valéria Santoro Bahia ◽

Leticia Lessa Mansur

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Social Communication ◽

Functional Communication ◽

Communicative Behavior ◽

Communication Assessment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Communication Ability ◽

Close Relatives ◽

The Impact

Abstract Functional communication is crucial for independent and efficient communicative behavior in response to every day activities. In the course of dementia progression, cognitive losses may impair these abilities. For this reason, functional communication assessment should be part of a formal assessment to quantify and qualify the impact of deficiency on patients' lives. Objective: To compare functional communication abilities in fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FLTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Six AD patients (mean age: 82.50±2.66 years; mean education: 5.67±3.61 years), and eight FTLD patients (mean age: 57.13±9.63 years; mean education: 10.86±6.91 years) had their close relatives answer the Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (Asha-facs) . Statistical analyses correlated the performance on each of the Asha-facs domains (social communication, communication of basic needs; reading, writing, number concept and daily planning) between both groups. Results: Analyses showed that functional communication was similar for AD and FTLD patients. Only two items had statistical difference, namely 'Comprehension of inference' (AD 6.7±1.33; FTLD 2.43±2.30, p=0.017) and 'capacity to make basic money transactions' (AD 2.17±2.04; FTLD 4.00±0.90, p=0.044). Comparison among the four domains' mean scores revealed no significant difference. Conclusion: The Asha-facs is a useful instrument to characterize functional communication abilities in both FTLD and AD. Nevertheless, the analysis presented for this sample showed that the Asha-facs could not discriminate which aspects of the FTLD and AD differed.

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Accuracy of prospective memory tests in mild Alzheimer's disease

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/s0004-282x2012000100005 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 17-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sergilaine Pereira Martins ◽

Benito Pereira Damasceno

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Digit Span ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Auditory Verbal Learning ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Behavioral Memory ◽

Animal Tests ◽

Higher Sensitivity

OBJECTIVES: To verify the accuracy of prospective memory (ProM) tests in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Twenty mild AD patients (CDR 1), and 20 controls underwent Digit Span (DS), Trail Making (TM) A and B, visual perception, Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning tests, and Cornell Scale for Depression. AD diagnosis was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. ProM was assessed with the appointment and belonging subtests of Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT); and with two new tests (the clock and animal tests). RESULTS: AD patients had a worse performance than controls on the majority of tests, except DS forward and TM-A. There was no correlation between RBMT and the new ProM tests. As for accuracy, the only significant difference concerned the higher sensitivity of our animal test versus the RBMT belonging test. CONCLUSIONS: The clock and the animal tests showed similar specificity, but higher sensitivity than the RBMT subtests.

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