Novel noninvasive biomarkers of prodromal Alzheimer disease: The role of optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography-angiography.

Background And Purpose: A reduction of retinal thickness and an alteration of retinal perfusion have been found in Alzheimer disease (AD). Nowadays, retinal layers and retinal perfusion can be evaluated by means of noninvasive imaging techniques, namely, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography (OCT-A). Here, we have compared the retinal thickness and the perfusion index, measured by means of OCT and OCT-A, in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD) and in age- and sex-matched cognitively healthy controls.

The Italian version of cognitive function instrument (CFI): reliability and validity in a cohort of healthy elderly.

The Alzheimer's disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)-Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI) is a 14-item questionnaire administered to the subject and the referent, aimed at detecting early changes in cognitive and functional abilities in individuals without clinical impairment. It is used for monitoring annual variations in cognitive functioning in prevention trials. The aim of the present study was to validate the Italian version of the CFI.

Evidence of practice effect in CANTAB spatial working memory test in a cohort of patients with mild cognitive impairment.

The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a system of neuropsychological tests frequently used to track the progression of cognitive deficits in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated test-retest reliability in seven CANTAB tests. Twenty-five MCI patients, with either AD-like or conflicting/normal cerebrospinal fluid profiles underwent three testing sessions at 6-month intervals, including the following tests: Reaction Time and Rapid Visual Information Processing (assessing attention and reaction times); Delayed Matching-to-Sample, Paired Associates Learning, Spatial Recognition Memory and Pattern Recognition Memory (assessing memory); Spatial Working Memory (assessing executive functions).

Associations of Alzheimer's disease with macular degeneration.

There is growing evidence of epidemiological, genetic, molecular and clinical links between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Major interest in the relationship between AD and AMD has derived from the evidence that beta-amyloid, the main component of senile plaques, the hallmark of AD, is also an important component of drusen, the hallmark of AMD. This finding has a great potential in the present era of anti-amyloid agents for the treatment of AD.

Electrophysiological actions of zonisamide on striatal neurons: Selective neuroprotection against complex I mitochondrial dysfunction.

Since the anti-epileptic drug Zonisamide (ZNS) seems to exert beneficial effects in Parkinson's (PD) disease, we have investigated the electrophysiological effects of ZNS in a rat corticostriatal slice preparation. ZNS affected neither the resting membrane potential nor the input resistance of the putative striatal spiny neurons. In contrast, this drug depressed in a dose-dependent manner the current-evoked repetitive firing discharge with a EC(50) value of 16.

A2A adenosine receptor antagonists protect the striatum against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity.

Adenosine A2A receptor has emerged as an attractive non-dopaminergic target in the experimental pharmacological therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). Moreover, it has been postulated that A2A adenosine receptor antagonists exert neuroprotective effects in experimental models of PD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Interestingly, in both these pathological conditions a deficit of mitochondrial complex I has been found.