The Effectiveness of an Exercise Program on Muscle Strength and Range of Motion on Upper Limbs, Functional Ability and Depression at Early Stage of Dementia.

: Dementia involves the loss of cognitive abilities and represents a decline from the prior level of function, which impairs functional abilities in day-to-day life. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effectiveness of an exercise program on the muscle strength and range of motion of the upper limbs, the functional status, and the depression of elderly people with early stage dementia. : The sample consisted of 60 elderly people with early stage dementia who were randomly divided into a control and an experimental group of 30 participants each.

Normal brain aging and Alzheimer's disease are associated with lower cerebral pH: an in vivo histidine H-MR spectroscopy study.

It is unclear whether alterations in cerebral pH underlie Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. We performed proton spectroscopy after oral administration of histidine in healthy young and elderly persons and in patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia (total N = 147). We measured cerebral tissue pH and ratios of common brain metabolites in relation to phosphocreatine and creatine (Cr) in spectra acquired from the hippocampus, the white matter (WM) of the centrum semiovale, and the cerebellum.

Nonpharmacological Modulation of Chronic Inflammation in Parkinson's Disease: Role of Diet Interventions.

Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as an important pathophysiological feature of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent evidence suggests that neuroinflammation in PD might originate in the intestine and the bidirectional communication between the central and enteric nervous system, the so-called "gut-brain axis," has received growing attention due to its contribution to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Diet targets mediators of inflammation with various mechanisms and combined with dopaminergic treatment can exert various beneficial effects in PD.

Optic nerve sheath diameter: present and future perspectives for neurologists and critical care physicians.

Background: Estimation of intracranial pressure (ICP) may be helpful in the management of neurological critically ill patients. It has been shown that ultrasonography of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a reliable tool for non-invasive estimation of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) at hospital admission or in intensive care. Less is known about the estimation of increased ICP and usefulness of ONSD in the prehospital setting.

Unraveling corticobasal syndrome and alien limb syndrome with structural brain imaging.

Alien limb phenomenon is a rare syndrome associated with a feeling of non-belonging and disowning toward one's limb. In contrast, anarchic limb phenomenon leads to involuntary but goal-directed movements. Alien/anarchic limb phenomena are frequent in corticobasal syndrome (CBS), an atypical parkinsonian syndrome characterized by rigidity, akinesia, dystonia, cortical sensory deficit, and apraxia.

FDG-PET underscores the key role of the thalamus in frontotemporal lobar degeneration caused by C9ORF72 mutations.

C9ORF72 mutations are the most common cause of familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). MRI studies have investigated structural changes in C9ORF72-associated FTLD (C9FTLD) and provided first insights about a prominent involvement of the thalamus and the cerebellum. Our multicenter, F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography study of 22 mutation carriers with FTLD, 22 matched non-carriers with FTLD, and 23 cognitively healthy controls provided valuable insights into functional changes in C9FTLD: compared to non-carriers, mutation carriers showed a significant reduction of glucose metabolism in both thalami, underscoring the key role of the thalamus in C9FTLD.

The applause sign in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and related conditions.

The applause sign, i.e., the inability to execute the same amount of claps as performed by the examiner, was originally reported as a sign specific for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Molecular links between endothelial dysfunction and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive decline of cognitive functions and represents the most common form of dementia and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the modern, westernized societies. There is accumulating evidence to support the hypothesis that a primary cerebral vascular dysfunction initiates a cascade of events that lead to neuronal injury in Alzheimer's dementia. The endothelium, in specific, constitutes a part of the blood brain barrier, the dysfunction of which is thought to play an important role to disturbed amyloid-β homeostasis and infiltration of the brain parenchyma with circulating toxic molecules in the disease.

Increased self-report of obsessive-compulsive behaviors among hemodialysis patients: a case-control study.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal insufficiency undergoing hemodialysis show important psychiatric morbidity, particularly increased depression and anxiety. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms, however, are much less frequently investigated. The purpose of the present study was thus to assess obsessive-compulsive symptoms in hemodialysis patients.

Assessment and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a substantial risk of cognitive dysfunction, even in the earliest stages of the disease, where there is minimum physical disability. Despite the high prevalence rates and the significant impact of cognitive dysfunction on quality of life in this population, cognitive functions are not routinely assessed due to the high cost and time consumption. This article provides an overview of the current state of knowledge related to cognition in MS and on the optimal approach to neuropsychological assessment of this population.

Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: the effect of pharmacological interventions.

Research has recently focused on cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS). Cognitive deficits are frequently encountered in patients and account for important impairment in quality of life, therefore posing a major therapeutic challenge for the disease. We presently review studies on cognitive effects of pharmacological treatments in MS.

Neuropsychological functioning in buprenorphine maintained patients versus abstinent heroin abusers on naltrexone hydrochloride therapy.

Rationale: Methadone and buprenorphine are among the most widely employed pharmacological treatments currently available for opioid addiction. Cognitive effects of buprenorphine in abstinent heroin abusers are nevertheless far from being understood.

Methods: Neuropsychological performance of 18 buprenorphine-maintained patients (BMP) was evaluated relative to that of 32 currently abstinent heroin abusers on naltrexone hydrochloride therapy (FHAN), and 34 non-drug dependent controls.

Neuropsychological functions and rCBF SPECT in Parkinson's disease patients considered candidates for deep brain stimulation.

Purpose: In the present study, we examined relationships between neuropsychological functions and brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) observed at presurgical evaluation for deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: Twenty advanced non-demented PD patients, candidates for DBS surgery, underwent perfusion brain SPECT study and neuropsychological assessment prior to surgery (range: 30-50 days). Patients were further assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scale.

Benton Visual Retention Test performance in normal adults and acute stroke patients: demographic considerations, discriminant validity, and test-retest reliability.

We examined relationships between demographic variables and Benton Visual Retention Test performance in 352 healthy Greek adults, aged 18-84 years. We derived norms for BVRT total number correct and error scores adjusted for variables that contributed significantly to the variance. We also investigated BVRT performance in 28 acute stroke patients M = 6.

Communicating the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: results of a survey among Greek neurologists.

In the frame of current treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS) and recommendations for early intervention, we investigated the practice and attitudes of neurologists towards MS-diagnosis communication in Greece. We constructed and sent out a 22-item questionnaire to neurologists practising in different employment settings and geographic regions in Greece. Overall, 217 (37.

Multiple sclerosis, cannabinoids, and cognition.

There is increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based medicinal extracts in multiple sclerosis. Cognitive deficits that have been attributed to long-term heavy recreational use of cannabis are not necessarily extended to controlled pharmaceutical use of cannabis-based medicinal extracts. Available data indicate that after relatively short-term administration of cannabis-based medicinal extracts no significant cognitive decline occurs.