Subclinical epileptiform discharges in Alzheimer's disease are associated with increased hippocampal blood flow.

Background: In epilepsy, the ictal phase leads to cerebral hyperperfusion while hypoperfusion is present in the interictal phases. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have an increased prevalence of epileptiform discharges and a study using intracranial electrodes have shown that these are very frequent in the hippocampus. However, it is not known whether there is an association between hippocampal hyperexcitability and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).

Subclinical Epileptiform Activity in Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Background: Patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) have a higher probability of seizures than in normal aging and in other types of neurodegenerative disorders. Depositions of α-synuclein, a pathological hallmark of DLB, can induce network excitability, which can escalate into seizure activity. Indicator of seizures are epileptiform discharges as observed using electroencephalography (EEG).

Detection of subclinical epileptiform discharges in Alzheimer's disease using long-term outpatient EEG monitoring.

Background: In patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) without clinical seizures, up to half have epileptiform discharges on long-term in-patient electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. Long-term in-patient monitoring is obtrusive, and expensive as compared to outpatient monitoring. No studies have so far investigated if long-term outpatient EEG monitoring is able to identify epileptiform discharges in AD.

Aerobic exercise does not affect serum neurofilament light in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Aerobic exercise has been shown to modify Alzheimer pathology in animal models, and in patients with multiple sclerosis to reduce neurofilament light (NfL), a biomarker of neurodegeneration.

Objective: To investigate whether a 16-week aerobic exercise program was able to reduce serum NfL in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from the multi-center Preserving Cognition, Quality of Life, Physical Health, and Functional Ability in Alzheimer's disease: The Effect of Physical Exercise (ADEX) study.

Long-Term EEG Monitoring in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease Using Ear-EEG: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Previous studies have reported that epileptiform activity may be detectible in nearly half of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) on long-term electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. However, such recordings can be uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult. Ear-EEG has shown promising results for long-term EEG monitoring, but it has not been used in patients with AD.

Comparison of the clinical impact of 2-[18F]FDG-PET and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in patients suspected of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The two biomarkers 2-[18F]FDG-PET and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers are both recommended to support the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. However, there is a lack of knowledge for the comparison of the two biomarkers in a routine clinical setting.

Objective: The aim was to compare the clinical impact of 2-[18F]FDG-PET and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers on diagnosis, prognosis, and patient management in patients suspected of Alzheimer's disease.

The role of physical and cognitive function in performance of activities of daily living in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease - a cross-sectional study.

Background: Several factors may play a role in the ability of patients with Alzheimer's disease to perform activities of daily living (ADL). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of different aspects of physical performance and cognitive functions on ADL in patients suffering from mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: We conducted secondary analyses on cross-sectional baseline data from the randomized controlled multicentre study "Preserving quality of life, physical health and functional ability in Alzheimer's Disease: The effect of physical exercise" (ADEX).

Biomarker counseling, disclosure of diagnosis and follow-up in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A European Alzheimer's disease consortium survey.

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of further cognitive decline, partly depending on demographics and biomarker status. The aim of the present study was to survey the clinical practices of physicians in terms of biomarker counseling, management, and follow-up in European expert centers diagnosing patients with MCI.

Methods: An online email survey was distributed to physicians affiliated with European Alzheimer's disease Consortium centers (Northern Europe: 10 centers; Eastern and Central Europe: 9 centers; and Southern Europe: 15 centers) with questions on attitudes toward biomarkers and biomarker counseling in MCI and dementia.

Cholinergic dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and amyloid-beta pathology in neurodegenerative diseases.

Cholinergic dysfunction is central in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The electroencephalography-based acetylcholine index (EEG-Ach index) has been proposed as a biomarker of cholinergic dysfunction. However, it is unclear how the EEG-Ach index relates to amyloid-beta pathology and neurodegeneration.

Changes in the left temporal microstate are a sign of cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Large-scale brain networks are disrupted in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Electroencephalography microstate analysis, a promising method for studying brain networks, parses EEG signals into topographies representing discrete, sequential network activations. Prior studies indicate that patients with AD show a pattern of global microstate disorganization.

A visual rating scale for cingulate island sign on 18F-FDG-PET to differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.

Valid diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is essential to establish appropriate treatment and care. However, the diagnostic accuracy is complicated by clinical and pathological overlap with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cingulate island sign (CIS), defined as sparing of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) relative to precuneus and cuneus on 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET), is included in the revised diagnostic DLB criteria.

Oscillatory connectivity as a diagnostic marker of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: Quantitative EEG power has not been as effective in discriminating between healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease as conventional biomarkers. But EEG coherence has shown promising results in small samples. The overall aim was to evaluate if EEG connectivity markers can discriminate between Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy aging and to explore the early underlying changes in coherence.

Moderate- to high-intensity exercise does not modify cortical β-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Animal models of Alzheimer's disease show that exercise may modify β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition. We examined the effect of a 16-week exercise intervention on cortical Aβ in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with Alzheimer's disease were randomized to either one hour of aerobic exercise three times weekly for 16 weeks or usual care.

Impact of a clinical decision support tool on prediction of progression in early-stage dementia: a prospective validation study.

Background: In clinical practice, it is often difficult to predict which patients with cognitive complaints or impairment will progress or remain stable. We assessed the impact of using a clinical decision support system, the PredictND tool, to predict progression in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in memory clinics.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, we included 429 patients with SCD (n = 230) and MCI (n = 199) (female 54%, age 67 ± 9, MMSE 28 ± 2) and followed them for at least 12 months.

Quantitative Electroencephalography Analyzed by Statistical Pattern Recognition as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Tool in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Results from a Nordic Multicenter Cohort Study.

Aim: To examine diagnostic and prognostic potential of quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) analyzed by the statistical pattern recognition (SPR) method in patients with cognitive impairment. We compared the differential diagnostic ability of SPR to visual EEG analysis. Correlation between SPR findings and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers were evaluated.

Impact of a Clinical Decision Support Tool on Dementia Diagnostics in Memory Clinics: The PredictND Validation Study.

Background: Determining the underlying etiology of dementia can be challenging. Computer- based Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have the potential to provide an objective comparison of data and assist clinicians.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic impact of a CDSS, the PredictND tool, for differential diagnosis of dementia in memory clinics.

A 16-Week Aerobic Exercise Intervention Does Not Affect Hippocampal Volume and Cortical Thickness in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease.

Brain imaging studies in healthy elderly subjects suggest a positive effect of aerobic exercise on both brain structure and function, while the effects of aerobic exercise in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been scarcely investigated. In a single-blinded randomized MRI study, we assessed the effects of an aerobic exercise intervention on brain volume as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its correlation to cognitive functioning in patients with AD. The study was a sub-study of a larger randomized controlled trial (ADEX study).

EEG Theta Power Is an Early Marker of Cognitive Decline in Dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Quantitative EEG (qEEG) power could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may further our understanding of the pathophysiology. However, the early qEEG power changes of AD are not well understood.

Objective: To investigate the early changes in qEEG power and the possible correlation with memory function and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.

Electroencephalography Is a Good Complement to Currently Established Dementia Biomarkers.

Background/aims: Dementia biomarkers that are accessible and easily applicable in nonspecialized clinical settings are urgently needed. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) is a good candidate, and the statistical pattern recognition (SPR) method has recently provided promising results. We tested the diagnostic value of qEEG-SPR in comparison to cognition, structural imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

Effect of aerobic exercise on physical performance in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Knowledge about the feasibility and effects of exercise programs to persons with Alzheimer's disease is lacking. This study investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on physical performance in community-dwelling persons with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: The single blinded multi-center RCT (ADEX) included 200 patients, median age 71 yrs (50-89).

Differences in quantitative methods for measuring subjective cognitive decline - results from a prospective memory clinic study.

Background: Cognitive complaints occur frequently in elderly people and may be a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline. Results from studies on subjective cognitive decline are difficult to compare due to variability in assessment methods, and little is known about how different methods influence reports of cognitive decline.

Methods: The Subjective Memory Complaints Scale (SMC) and The Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q) were applied in 121 mixed memory clinic patients with mild cognitive symptoms (mean MMSE = 26.

Moderate-to-High Intensity Physical Exercise in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Studies of physical exercise in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are few and results have been inconsistent.

Objective: To assess the effects of a moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise program in patients with mild AD.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, we recruited 200 patients with mild AD to a supervised exercise group (60-min sessions three times a week for 16 weeks) or to a control group.

Autonomic Dysfunction in Patients with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Autonomic function has received little attention in Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD pathology has an impact on brain regions which are important for central autonomic control, but it is unclear if AD is associated with disturbance of autonomic function.

Objective: To investigate autonomic function using standardized techniques in patients with AD and healthy age-matched controls.

Discrepancy between stimulus response and tolerance of pain in Alzheimer disease.

Background: Affective-motivational and sensory-discriminative aspects of pain were investigated in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease (AD) and healthy elderly controls using the cold pressor test tolerance and repetitive stimuli of warmth and heat stimuli, evaluating the stimulus-response function.

Methods: A case-control design was applied examining 33 patients with mild to moderate AD dementia and 32 healthy controls with the cold pressor test (4°C). Warmth detection threshold (WDT) and heat pain threshold (HPT) were assessed using 5 stimulations.