Arm Motor Rehabilitation, Entertainment and Cognition System for the Elderly

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disease affecting the elderly population. Pharmacological and surgical interventions usually employed for PD treatment show transient effectiveness and are associated with the insurgence of side effects. Therefore, motor rehabilitation has been proposed as a promising supplement in the treatment of PD, reducing the global burden of the disease and improving patients quality of life. The present systematic review aimed to critically analyse the literature concerning MRI markers of brain functional and structural response to motor rehabilitation in PD. Fourteen out of 1313 studies were selected according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria. Despite the limited number of retrieved studies coupled with their heterogeneity prevent ultimate conclusions from being drawn, motor rehabilitation seems to have beneficial effects on PD as measured both with clinical outcomes and MRI derived indices. Interestingly, consistent results seem to indicate that motor rehabilitation acts via a dual mechanism of strengthening cortico-subcortical pathways, restoring movements automaticity, or activating compensatory networks such as the fronto-parietal one. The employment of more advanced and quantitative MRI methods is warranted to establish and validate standardized metrics capable of reliably determining the changes induced by rehabilitative intervention.

Download Full-text

Cell surface changes during aging of human bladder epithelium examined by lectin probes and SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100162429 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 966-967

Author(s):

J. Jacob ◽

M.F.M. Ismail

Keyword(s):

The Elderly ◽

Ultrastructural Changes ◽

Pokeweed Mitogen ◽

Asymmetric Structure ◽

Luminal Surface ◽

Bladder Epithelium ◽

Aldehyde Groups ◽

Cell Surface Changes ◽

Phosphate Buffered Saline ◽

Surface Changes

Ultrastructural changes have been shown to occur in the urinary bladder epithelium (urothelium) during the life span of humans. With increasing age, the luminal surface becomes more flexible and develops simple microvilli-like processes. Furthermore, the specialised asymmetric structure of the luminal plasma membrane is relatively more prominent in the young than in the elderly. The nature of the changes at the luminal surface is now explored by lectin-mediated adsorption visualised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Samples of young adult (21-31 y old) and elderly (58-82 y old) urothelia were fixed in buffered 2% glutaraldehyde for 10 m and washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing Ca++ and Mg++ at room temperature. They were incubated overnight at 4°C in 0.1 M ammonium chloride in PBS to block any remaining aldehyde groups. The samples were then allowed to stand in PBS at 37°C for 2 h before incubation at 37°C for 30 m with lectins. The lectins used were concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) at a concentration of 500 mg/ml in PBS at pH 7.A.

Download Full-text

The effect of dental geriatric curricula on attitudes toward the elderly

Journal of Dental Education ◽

10.1002/j.0022-0337.1988.52.9.tb02232.x ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 52 (9) ◽

pp. 516-518 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J Mann ◽

TJ Bomberg ◽

JM Holtzman ◽

DB Berkey

Keyword(s):

The Elderly

Download Full-text

Speech-Language Pathologists' Attitudes Toward Aging and the Elderly

Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders ◽

10.1044/cicsd_30_f_146 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (Fall) ◽

pp. 146-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jeff Searl ◽

Rodney M. Gabel

Keyword(s):

The Elderly ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Attitudes Toward Aging

Download Full-text

Pharmacology Issues Related to Dementia Syndrome of Depression in Elderly Residents of Long-Term Care Settings

Perspectives on Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders ◽

10.1044/nnsld25.2.61 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 61-69

Author(s):

Angel L. Ball ◽

Adina S. Gray

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

The Elderly ◽

Environmental Communication ◽

Pharmacological Intervention ◽

Team Approach ◽

Discussion Paper ◽

Term Care ◽

Anticholinergic Medications ◽

Inappropriate Treatment ◽

Dementia Syndrome

Pharmacological intervention for depressive symptoms in institutionalized elderly is higher than the population average. Among the patients on such medications are those with a puzzling mix of symptoms, diagnosed as “dementia syndrome of depression,” formerly termed “pseudodementia”. Cognitive-communicative changes, potentially due to medications, complicate the diagnosis even further. This discussion paper reviews the history of the terminology of “pseudodementia,” and examines the pharmacology given as treatment for depressive symptoms in the elderly population that can affect cognition and communication. Clinicians can reduce the risk of misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment by having an awareness of potential side effects, including decreased attention, memory, and reasoning capacities, particularly due to some anticholinergic medications. A team approach to care should include a cohesive effort directed at caution against over-medication, informed management of polypharmacology, enhancement of environmental/communication supports and quality of life, and recognizing the typical nature of some depressive signs in elderly institutionalized individuals.

Download Full-text