Assessing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: a comprehensive review of current options and future perspectives.

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a heterogeneous set of challenging disturbances of behavior, mood, perception, and thought that occur in almost all patients with dementia. A huge number of instruments have been developed to assess BPSD in different populations and settings. Although some of these tools are more widely used than others, no single instrument can be considered completely satisfactory, and each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages.

BPSDiary study protocol: a multi-center randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of a BPSD diary vs. standard care in reducing caregiver's burden.

Unlabelled: Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are a heterogeneous set of psychological and behavioral abnormalities seen in persons with dementia (PwD), significantly impacting their quality of life and that of their caregivers. Current assessment tools, such as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), are limited by recall bias and lack of direct observation. This study aims to overcome this limitation by making caregiver reports more objective through the use of a novel instrument, referred to as the BPSDiary.

Clinical and neuroimaging characterization of the first frontotemporal dementia family carrying the MAPT p.K298E mutation.

We present an in-depth clinical and neuroimaging analysis of a family carrying the MAPT K298E mutation associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Initial identification of this mutation in a single clinical case led to a comprehensive investigation involving four affected siblings allowing to elucidate the mutation's phenotypic expression.A 60-year-old male presented with significant behavioral changes and progressed rapidly, exhibiting speech difficulties and cognitive decline.

The role of 123-I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy in the differential diagnosis between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.

Although detailed diagnostic guidelines are available, differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease is often difficult. 123-I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy is one of the tools which have been proposed for the diagnostic procedure. The present review is aimed at evaluating the available literature about this topic.

Corticosteroid treatment for acute hydrocephalus in neurosarcoidosis: a case report.

Background: Neurosarcoidosis occurs symptomatically in 5-10% of patients with sarcoidosis, and hydrocephalus is a rare complication of neurosarcoidosis, with either acute or subacute onset and presenting symptoms related to increased intracranial pressure. It represents a potentially fatal manifestation with a mortality rate of 22% (increased to 75% in case of coexistence of seizures) that requires a prompt initiation of treatment. High-dose intravenous corticosteroid treatment and neurosurgical treatment must be considered in all cases of neurosarcoidosis hydrocephalus.

The Clinical Spectrum of ANO3-Report of a New Family and Literature Review.

Background: Mutations in ANO3 are a rare cause of autosomal dominant isolated or combined dystonia, mainly presenting in adulthood.

Cases: We extensively characterize a new, large ANO3 family with six affected carriers. The proband is a young girl who had suffered from tremor and painful dystonic movements in her right arm since the age of 11 years.

Brain Health and Cognition in Older Adults: Roadmap and Milestones towards the Implementation of Preventive Strategies.

In this narrative review, we delve into the evolving concept of brain health, as recognized by the WHO, focusing on its intersection with cognitive decline. We emphasize the imperative need for preventive strategies, particularly in older adults. We describe the target population that might benefit the most from risk-based approaches-namely, people with subjective cognitive decline.

Glibenclamide-Loaded Engineered Nanovectors (GNVs) Modulate Autophagy and NLRP3-Inflammasome Activation.

Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in response to either exogenous (PAMPs) or endogenous (DAMPs) stimuli results in the production of IL-18, caspase-1 and IL-1β. These cytokines have a beneficial role in promoting inflammation, but an excessive activation of the inflammasome and the consequent constitutive inflammatory status plays a role in human pathologies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autophagic removal of NLRP3 inflammasome activators can reduce inflammasome activation and inflammation.

Left and right corticobasal syndrome: comparison of cognitive profiles between metabolic imaging - matched groups.

Background: Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is typically asymmetric. Case reports suggest that left-hemisphere CBS (lhCBS) is associated with major language impairment, and right-hemisphere CBS (rhCBS) is associated with major visuospatial deficits, but no group study has ever verified these observations. In our study, we enrolled 49 patients with CBS, classified them as lhCBS or rhCBS based on asymmetry of hypometabolism on brain FDG-PET and compared their cognitive and behavioural profiles.

Two-year cardio-pulmonary follow-up after severe COVID-19: a prospective study.

Short- and medium-term cardio-pulmonary sequelae after COVID-19 have been extensively studied. However, studies with longer follow-ups are required. This study aims to identify and characterise cardio-pulmonary sequelae, in patients hospitalised for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, at 24 months follow-up.

A cognitive marker for Alzheimer disease pathology in primary progressive aphasia? A validation study in the clinical setting.

We validated in the clinical setting a putative clinical marker for a biological diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) due to amyloid previously identified in an autopsy cohort and including impaired (score ≤4) digit span (DS) as index of phonological loop dysfunction and broadened criteria for logopenic PPA. In 29 PPA patients with an amyloid-positive (A+) biomarker and 28 PPA patients with an amyloid-negative (A-) biomarker, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed moderate specificity (71%) but insufficient sensitivity (41%) for the proposed marker. Specificity was particularly poor (58%) for the discrimination between A+ PPA and the A- subgroup with nonfluent PPA.

Can Traditional Board Games Prevent or Slow Down Cognitive Impairment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Traditional board games can entail significant skills encompassing several cognitive functions across different domains. Therefore, they may potentially represent effective cognitive interventions in the aging population with or without Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

Objective: We aimed at verifying the hypothesis that traditional board games can prevent or slow down cognitive decline, through a systematic review on traditional board games and dementia.

TSPO Modulates Oligomeric Amyloid-β-Induced Monocyte Chemotaxis: Relevance for Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Neuroinflammation is one of the cardinal mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). with amyloid-β (Aβ) playing a critical role by activating microglia to produce soluble inflammatory mediators, including several chemokines. Peripheral monocytes are, therefore, attracted into the central nervous system (CNS), where they change into blood-born microglia and participate in the attempt of removing toxic Aβ species.

Incidence and Long-term Functional Outcome of Neurologic Disorders in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Infected With Pre-Omicron Variants.

Background And Objectives: A variety of neurologic disorders have been reported as presentations or complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. The objective of this study was to determine their incidence dynamics and long-term functional outcome.

Methods: The Neuro-COVID Italy study was a multicenter, observational, cohort study with ambispective recruitment and prospective follow-up.

Head Down Tilt 15° in Acute Ischemic Stroke with Poor Collaterals: A Randomized Preclinical Trial.

Cerebral collaterals are recruited after arterial occlusion with a protective effect on tissue outcome in acute ischemic stroke. Head down tilt 15° (HDT15) is a simple, low cost and accessible procedure that could be applied as an emergency treatment, before recanalization therapies, with the aim to increase cerebral collateral flow. Spontaneously hypertensive rats have been shown to display anatomical differences in morphology and function of cerebral collaterals, compared to other rat strains, resulting in an overall poor collateral circulation.

An updated overview of recent and ongoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) trials in patients with dementia: a systematic review.

Background: Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide. Several technologies have been developed to slow cognitive decline: deep brain stimulation (DBS) of network targets in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) have been recently investigated.

Objective: This study aimed to review the characteristics of the populations, protocols, and outcomes of patients with dementia enrolled in clinical trials investigating the feasibility and efficacy of DBS.

Donepezil-Induced Complex Multimodal Hallucinations: Two Cases and a Review of the Literature.

Hallucinations are common in neurodegenerative dementias, being present in a significant proportion of patients. Most of the available studies show that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may be beneficial in preventing and treating hallucinations in patients with neurodegenerative and even psychiatric disorders, even though there are reports that they might also develop as an adverse effect of such therapy. However, a clear causal relationship for the latter association was not previously established.

Harmonization of sensorimotor deficit assessment in a registered multicentre pre-clinical randomized controlled trial using two models of ischemic stroke.

Multicentre preclinical randomized controlled trials (pRCTs) are a valuable tool to improve experimental stroke research, but are challenging and therefore underused. A common challenge regards the standardization of procedures across centres. We here present the harmonization phase for the quantification of sensorimotor deficits by composite neuroscore, which was the primary outcome of two multicentre pRCTs assessing remote ischemic conditioning in rodent models of ischemic stroke.