Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB) in mild cognitive impairment and in Alzheimer's disease.

Neuropsychological deficits, such as poor episodic memory, are consistent features of mild cognitive impairment and also that of early stage of dementia. The aim of the present study was to detect cognitive dysfunction among patients with Alzheimer's disease or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which refers to a transitional state between the cognition of normal aeging and mild dementia regarded as a high-risk condition for the development of clinically probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Computerized tests of memory, attention and executive functions were studied in groups of AD subjects (n=15) and MCI subjects (n=25).

Brain blood flow changes measured by positron emission tomography during an auditory cognitive task in healthy volunteers and in schizophrenic patients.

Objective: Cognitive deficit is an essential feature of schizophrenia. One of the generally used simple cognitive tasks to characterize specific cognitive dysfunctions is the auditory "oddball" paradigm. During this task, two different tones are presented with different repetition frequencies and the subject is asked to pay attention and to respond to the less frequent tone.

[Cognitive functions in prepsychotic and negative-symptom schizophrenic patients].

Background: Relationship between schizophrenia and cognitive functions has been reported by several studies. Our work group examined the changes of cognitive functions in prepsychotic patients without any relevant psychiatric disorder in their anamnesis, and also in schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative symptoms.

Methods: Measures were carried out by Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), a complex computer-based test battery of 13 tests covering a wide range of cognitive functions.

Cognitive functions in prepsychotic patients.

Objective: Cognitive dysfunctions are now widely understood as an essential feature of schizophrenia. A great number of cognitive disturbances have been described in drug-naive first-episode patients as well. The full-blown psychotic symptoms are usually preceded by a longer prodromal period, in which non-specific psychological disturbances are already present.

[Auditory event related potential and PET scan: a possibility for the comprehensive evaluation of cognition].

The authors studied the parallel use of event related potential (ERP) and brain activation PET in nine healthy volunteers. The presence of P300 wave in the EEG recording was accompanied by a parallel increase in the blood perfusion of the anterior cingulate gyrus. Furthermore, the functional connectivity between cortical and subcortical structures was also present during the task.