An open-label study of memantine treatment in 3 subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

There are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The objectives of this study were to explore the tolerability of memantine treatment in FTLD and to monitor for possible effects on behavior, cognition, and function. Forty-three individuals who met clinical criteria for FTLD [21 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), 13 with semantic dementia (SD), and 9 with progressive nonfluent aphasia (PA)] received 26 weeks of open-label treatment with memantine at a target dose of 20 mg daily.

Atherosclerosis risk factors in American Indians with Alzheimer disease: preliminary findings.

Factors predisposing to and associated with atherosclerosis may impact the onset and progression of Alzheimer disease (AD). The high prevalence of atherosclerosis and associated risk factors in American Indians makes them ideal subjects to test this association. We compared frequency of history of hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes, and high cholesterol in 34 American Indians with AD with 34 age-matched American Indian controls, and 34 age-matched whites with probable AD.

Responsiveness of the quality of life in late-stage dementia scale to psychotropic drug treatment in late-stage dementia.

Background: We report on the responsiveness of a previously validated quality-of-life scale, the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia scale (QUALID), as an outcome measure in a clinical trial of two psychotropic medications.

Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted comparing outcome measures used in a randomized double-blind trial of two antipsychotics (olanzapine and risperidone) for the treatment of dementia-related behavioral symptoms. The QUALID was completed for 31 of the patients in addition to several measures of behavior-related dementia symptoms including the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Withdrawn Behavior subscale of the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Clinical Global Impression.

Comparison of Alzheimer's disease in Native Americans and Whites.

Objective: This study compared medical history and findings on initial clinical examination in Native Americans diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) at Native American satellite clinics of the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Center with those of Whites diagnosed with probable AD at the UT Southwestern Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Clinic.

Methods: The information reviewed was contained in the database of the UT Southwestern Alzheimer's Disease Center.

Results: In relation to Whites, Native Americans had slightly but significantly greater age at onset of symptoms (71.

Caregiver attribution and resentment in dementia care.

The caregivers of 37 patients with a dementing illness completed rating scales regarding the frequency and severity of their care recipient's general behavioral disturbance and manipulative behaviors, as well as their own resentment and depression. Caregivers were randomized to a four-week psychoeducational group intervention or control group to investigate the effect of dementia caregiving education on the caregiving experience. Findings indicated that, while care recipient behavioral disturbance was correlated with caregiver resentment and depression, the primary relationship was between behaviors perceived by the caregiver as manipulative or willful and caregiver resentment and depression.

Can alzheimer's disease and dementias with Lewy bodies be distinguished clinically?

To determine if Alzheimer's disease (AD), its Lewy body (LB) variant (LBV), and diffuse LB disease (DLBD) are distinguishable at initial clinical evaluation, data from autopsy-confirmed AD, LBV, and DLBD were examined. No significant differences were found in age at onset, age at death, total duration of illness, duration of illness before initial visit, duration of illness from initial visit to death, or severity of illness at initial evaluation. Hallucinations and delusions were significantly more frequent for LBV and DLBD, respectively, than for AD, and falls were more frequent for DLBD than for AD.

A double-blind comparison of olanzapine versus risperidone in the acute treatment of dementia-related behavioral disturbances in extended care facilities.

Background: In addition to demonstrating their superiority to placebo, there is a need to compare the relative efficacy and side effects of atypical neuroleptics for the acute treatment of dementia-related behavioral disturbances in residents of long-term care facilities.

Method: In a double-blind parallel study allowing dose titration over 14 days, 39 agitated persons with DSM-IV dementia who were residing in long-term care facilities were administered olanzapine (N = 20) or risperidone (N = 19) as acute treatment. Drug was administered once a day at bedtime.

Reduction in levels of 24S-hydroxycholesterol by statin treatment in patients with Alzheimer disease.

Background: The statin treatment of dyslipidemia is associated with a reduced risk of development of Alzheimer disease (AD). The effect may be mediated by a reduction in cholesterol biosynthesis in the brain, by lowering levels of apolipoprotein E (apo E)-containing lipoproteins, or by pleitropic effects such as reduction in beta-amyloid production. In the brain, cholesterol from damaged or dying neurons is converted to 24S-hydroxycholesterol by cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46).

Comparison of functional and cognitive donepezil effects in Alzheimer's disease.

Donepezil has been shown to improve aspects of cognitive functioning in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its impact on instrumental activities of daily living has received little attention. In a within-subject design, 24 community-dwelling persons with AD were treated with open-label donepezil over a 12-month period. To assess functional abilities, a brief, objective measure of instrumental activities of daily living skills was used (Texas Functional Living Scale; TFLS).