Clinical Features of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Critical Review of Objective Findings.

Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is characterized by the classic clinical triad of gait, cognitive, and urinary dysfunction, albeit incomplete in a relevant proportion of patients. The clinical findings and evolution of these symptoms have been variably defined in the literature.

Objectives: To evaluate how the phenomenology has been defined, assessed, and reported, we performed a critical review of the existing literature discussing the phenomenology of iNPH.

A functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of prefrontal cortex deep transcranial magnetic stimulation efficacy in adults with attention deficit/hyperactive disorder: A double blind, randomized clinical trial.

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurocognitive disorders. Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation tool that holds promise in treatment of neurocognitive disorders. Hypoactivity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been observed in ADHD.

Neurocognitive Plasticity Is Associated with Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Physical Exercise in Older Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Aerobic training has been shown to promote structural and functional neurocognitive plasticity in cognitively intact older adults. However, little is known about the neuroplastic potential of aerobic exercise in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia.

Objective: We aimed to explore the effect of aerobic exercise intervention and cardiorespiratory fitness improvement on brain and cognitive functions in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Maximal aerobic capacity is associated with hippocampal cognitive reserve in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Maximal aerobic capacity (MAC) has been associated with preserved neural tissue or brain maintenance (BM) in healthy older adults, including the hippocampus. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is considered a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease. While aMCI is characterized by hippocampal deterioration, the MAC-hippocampal relationship in these patients is not well understood.

Differences in Semantic Memory Encoding Strategies in Young, Healthy Old and MCI Patients.

Associative processes, such as the encoding of associations between words in a list, can enhance episodic memory performance and are thought to deteriorate with age. Here, we examine the nature of age-related deficits in the , by using a free recall paradigm with visual arrays of objects. Fifty-five participants (26 young students; 20 cognitive healthy older adults; nine patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment, MCI) were shown multiple slides (experimental trials), each containing an array of nine common objects for recall.

Is the Cutoff of the MoCA too High? Longitudinal Data From Highly Educated Older Adults.

Background: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely used to evaluate cognitive decline in older individuals. Although, age and education-related norms have been published, the vast majority of diagnostic clinicians use the MoCA cutoff score to identify patients with cognitive impairment.

Aim: To identify whether the MoCA cutoff is too stringent for cognitively normal older adults.

Changes in Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Hippocampus Following Cognitive Effort Predict Memory Decline at Older Age-A Longitudinal fMRI Study.

Memory decline is a feature of some, but not all, healthy older adults. The neural patterns of this variability are still largely unknown. We examined the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of older and younger adults before and after cognitive effort as an underlying feature for subsequent memory changes, focusing on the RSFC between the left anterior hippocampus (laHC) and the posterior hippocampi (pHC).

WAIS Information Subtest as an indicator of crystallized cognitive abilities and brain reserve among highly educated older adults: A three-year longitudinal study.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) Information Subtest (IS) is known as a neuropsychological "Hold" test that is relatively resistant to decline with aging. We administered neuropsychological tests among highly educated healthy older adults once a year for three subsequent years. Results showed highly stable performances on the IS across years (Mean Z score: T0 = 1.

How attention modulates encoding of dynamic stimuli in older adults.

Aging is marked by memory decline that is exacerbated with attentional loading. Portraying older adults' neural functions when encoding information in conditions of high and low attentional load is a necessary step toward understanding this phenomenon. Furthermore, the information gained may be used to devise strategies aimed to prevent age-related decline in memory.

Two Ethnic Clusters with Huntington Disease in Israel: The Case of Mountain Jews and Karaites.

Background: Worldwide prevalence estimates of Huntington disease (HD) vary widely, with no reliable information regarding the Jewish population in Israel.

Methods: This specialized tertiary single-center cross-sectional study assessed clinical, cognitive, and demographic characteristics of 84 HD patients who were treated at the Movement Disorder Unit of the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel.

Results: Our cohort was composed of one-third Ashkenazi Jews, 27% Mountain Jews (Caucasus Jews), 18% Sephardi Jews, and 21% Karaites, with both Mountain Jews and Karaites over-represented compared to their relevant proportion in the population of the state of Israel, which is less than 1%.

Schema benefit vs. proactive interference: Contradicting behavioral outcomes and coexisting neural patterns.

Prior knowledge can either assist or hinder the ability to learn new information. These contradicting behavioral outcomes, referred to as schema benefit and proactive interference respectively, have been studied separately. Here we examined whether the known neural correlates of each process coexist, and how they are influenced by attentional loading and aging.

Neural patterns underlying the effect of negative distractors on working memory in older adults.

Working memory (WM) declines with age. Older adults, however, perform similar to younger adults in WM tasks with negative distractors at low WM load. To clarify the neural basis of this phenomenon, older (n = 28) and younger (n = 24) adults performed an emotional n-back task during an fMRI scan, and activity in task-related regions was examined.

A "dose" effect of mutations in the GBA gene on Parkinson's disease phenotype.

Objective: Mutations in the GBA gene are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). A definite description of the clinical characteristics of PD patients who are compound heterozygotes or homozygotes for mutations in the GBA gene (GD-PD) requires further elucidation.

Methods: We assessed motor, cognitive, olfactory and autonomic functions as well as demographic data and medical history in a cohort of Ashkenazi Jewish PD patients who were screened for seven common mutations in the GBA gene.

How Attention Modulates Encoding of Dynamic Stimuli.

When encoding a real-life, continuous stimulus, the same neural circuits support processing and integration of prior as well as new incoming information. This ongoing interplay is modulated by attention, and is evident in regions such as the prefrontal cortex section of the task positive network (TPN), and in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a hub of the default mode network (DMN). Yet the exact nature of such modulation is still unclear.

High Frequency of GBA Gene Mutations in Dementia With Lewy Bodies Among Ashkenazi Jews.

Importance: Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene are a risk factor for the development of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). These mutations are common among Ashkenazi Jews (AJ) and appear to have an effect on the natural history of the disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of an AJ cohort of patients diagnosed with DLB, assess the association of phenotype of DLB with GBA mutations, and explore the effects of these mutations on the clinical course of the disease.

Altered Topology in Information Processing of a Narrated Story in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The ability to store, integrate, and manipulate information declines with aging. These changes occur earlier, faster, and to a greater degree as a result of neurodegeneration. One of the most common and early characteristics of cognitive decline is difficulty with comprehension of information.

Sensitivity of Neuropsychological Tests to Identify Cognitive Decline in Highly Educated Elderly Individuals: 12 Months Follow up.

Highly educated individuals have a lower risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A common assumption is that their "cognitive reserve" protects them from cognitive decline and postpones the clinical manifestation of dementia. These highly educated individuals usually obtain normal scores on cognitive screening tests, although at the same time they can experience subjective cognitive decline and difficulty in multiple cognitive domains.

TMS as a Tool for Examining Cognitive Processing.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive method where an externally placed, rapidly changing magnetic field causes induction of weak electric currents that lead to changes in neuronal polarization and activity. TMS is a modality that has emerged as a unique tool in the study of functional neuroscience for several reasons. TMS can be used to selectively activate or inhibit specific cortical structures, leading to transient perturbations in their function.

A Simple Tool to Reach Populations at Risk for Developing Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

Identification of individuals at high risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease is a major challenge. A "memory fair" is an enjoyable and affordable tool designed to reach local population at risk, mainly those with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) or mild cognitive impairment. The fair included a free cognitive assessment and presentation on the importance of sleep, physical activity, cognitive training, and risk-factors and provided personalized recommendations.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment in cognitively-intact elderly: a case for age-adjusted cutoffs.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a widely used screening test for evaluation of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with a single cutoff for all ages. We examined whether it is associated with age in a sample of cognitively-intact elderly (CIE). The average MoCA score was negatively correlated with age and was significantly higher for younger than older CIE.

Adult-onset temporal lobe epilepsy, cognitive decline, multi-antiepileptic drug hypersensitivity, and Hashimoto's encephalopathy: Two case studies.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy is defined by the coexistence of encephalopathy and antithyroid antibodies. We report two cases of adult-onset temporal lobe epilepsy with subacute cognitive decline, high titers of antithyroid antibodies, multi-antiepileptic drug hypersensitivity, and good response to immunomodulatory treatment. The relevance of multidrug hypersensitivity in the setting of adult-onset epilepsy and the importance of searching for autoimmune causes for epilepsy are discussed.

The LRRK2 G2019S mutation as the cause of Parkinson's disease in Ashkenazi Jews.

Mutations in the leucine rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) are recognized as the most common cause of genetic Parkinsonism to date. The G2019S mutation has been implicated as an important determinant of Parkinson's disease (PD) in both Ashkenazi Jewish and North African Arab populations with carrier frequency of 29.7% among familial and 6% in sporadic Ashkenazi Jewish PD cases.