Neuropsychological Effects of the Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers: The "ACQUA" (Alzheimer-COVID QUArantine Questionnaire) Study.

Background: The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, imposed in many countries in 2021, led to social isolation and the interruption of many activities that were useful in stimulating cognition. The impact of these changes has been particularly severe in older subjects with cognitive impairment.

Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of lockdown on Alzheimer's disease patients (in cognition, behavior, and autonomy) and on their caregivers (in emotions, burden, and quality of life).

Explainable machine learning on clinical features to predict and differentiate Alzheimer's progression by sex: Toward a clinician-tailored web interface.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder world-wide, presents sex-specific differences in its manifestation and progression, necessitating personalized diagnostic approaches. Current procedures are often costly and invasive, lacking consideration of sex-based differences. This study introduces an explainable machine learning (ML) system to predict and differentiate the progression of AD based on sex, using non-invasive, easily collectible predictors such as neuropsychological test scores and sociodemographic data, enabling its application in every day clinical settings.

Association of Early fMRI Connectivity Alterations With Different Cognitive Phenotypes in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Parkinson Disease.

Background And Objectives: According to the dual syndrome hypothesis, patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with visuospatial deficits are more likely to progress to dementia, compared with patients with a prevalent dysexecutive syndrome. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether early connectivity changes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the precuneus (PCun)-which are critical to fronto-executive and visuospatial functions, respectively-can identify distinct cognitive phenotypes in cognitively intact newly diagnosed patients with PD.

Methods: Newly diagnosed, drug-naïve patients with PD (≤2 years from clinical onset) with normal Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), were consecutively enrolled from our Movement Disorders Clinics in Italy.

Neuroanatomical and clinical correlates of prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies: a systematic literature review of neuroimaging findings.

Prodromal Dementia with Lewy bodies (pro-DLB) has been recently defined; however, the neuroanatomical and functional correlates of this stage have not yet been univocally established. This study aimed to systematically review neuroimaging findings focused on pro-DLB. A literature search of works employing MRI, PET, and SPECT was performed.

Exploring easily accessible neurophysiological biomarkers for predicting Alzheimer's disease progression: a systematic review.

Alzheimer disease (AD) remains a significant global health concern. The progression from preclinical stages to overt dementia has become a crucial point of interest for researchers. This paper reviews the potential of neurophysiological biomarkers in predicting AD progression, based on a systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines, including 55 studies.

Neuroretinal and microvascular retinal features in dementia with Lewy body assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography.

Objective: To explore retinal changes in patients with Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) using Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), aiming to identify potential biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring.

Methods: A cross-sectional study analyzed 15 DLB patients and 18 matched controls. Participants underwent physical, neurological, neuropsychological, and ophthalmological evaluations, including SD-OCT and OCTA.

BPSDiary study protocol: a multi-center randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of a BPSD diary vs. standard care in reducing caregiver's burden.

Unlabelled: Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are a heterogeneous set of psychological and behavioral abnormalities seen in persons with dementia (PwD), significantly impacting their quality of life and that of their caregivers. Current assessment tools, such as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), are limited by recall bias and lack of direct observation. This study aims to overcome this limitation by making caregiver reports more objective through the use of a novel instrument, referred to as the BPSDiary.

Distinct grey and white matter changes are associated with the phenomenology of visual hallucinations in Lewy Body Disease.

Visual hallucinations in Lewy body disease (LBD) can be differentiated based on phenomenology into minor phenomena (MVH) and complex hallucinations (CVH). MVH include a variety of phenomena, such as illusions, presence and passage hallucinations occurring at early stages of LBD. The neural mechanisms of visual hallucinations are largely unknown.

Multidimensional assessment of time perception along the continuum of Alzheimer's Disease and evidence of alterations in subjective cognitive decline.

Timing alterations occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in early stages (mild cognitive impairment, MCI). Moreover, a stage named subjective cognitive decline (SCD), in which individuals perceive a change in cognitive performance not revealed by neuropsychological tests, has been identified as a preclinical phase of AD. However, no study to date has investigated different dimensions of time processing along the continuum from physiological to pathological aging, and whether timing alterations occur in SCD.

Relationship between default mode network and resting-state electroencephalographic alpha rhythms in cognitively unimpaired seniors and patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Here we tested the hypothesis of a relationship between the cortical default mode network (DMN) structural integrity and the resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms in patients with Alzheimer's disease with dementia (ADD). Clinical and instrumental datasets in 45 ADD patients and 40 normal elderly (Nold) persons originated from the PDWAVES Consortium (www.pdwaves.

Sundowning in Patients with Dementia: Identification, Prevalence, and Clinical Correlates.

Background: The term sundowning is used to describe the emergence or worsening of neuropsychiatric symptoms in late afternoon or early evening in people with dementia.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate sundowning's prevalence and clinical manifestations among patients attending a tertiary memory clinic and to investigate its clinical and neuropsychological correlates.

Methods: Patients with dementia attending our memory clinic were enrolled in the study.

Cognitive and Motor Decline in Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson's Disease Dementia.

Background: There is a need to better understand the rate of cognitive and motor decline of Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease Dementia (PDD).

Objectives: To compare the rate of cognitive and motor decline in patients with DLB and PDD from the E-DLB Consortium and the Parkinson's Incidence Cohorts Collaboration (PICC) Cohorts.

Methods: The annual change in MMSE and MDS-UPDRS part III was estimated using linear mixed regression models in patients with at least one follow-up (DLB  = 837 and PDD  = 157).

Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer's Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness.

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers in tears as well as their association with retinal and choroidal microstructures. In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects (age 71.7 ± 6.

Psychosis as a Treatment Target in Dementia: A Roadmap for Designing Interventions.

Psychotic phenomena are among the most severe and disruptive symptoms of dementias and appear in 30% to 50% of patients. They are associated with a worse evolution and great suffering to patients and caregivers. Their current treatments obtain limited results and are not free of adverse effects, which are sometimes serious.

Cerebellum-Cortical Interaction in Spatial Navigation and Its Alteration in Dementias.

The cerebellum has a homogeneous structure and performs different computational functions such as modulation/coordination of the communication between cerebral regions, and regulation/integration of sensory information. Albeit cerebellar activity is generally associated with motor functions, several recent studies link it to various cognitive functions, including spatial navigation. In addition, cerebellar activity plays a modulatory role in different cognitive domains and brain processes.

Reactivity of posterior cortical electroencephalographic alpha rhythms during eyes opening in cognitively intact older adults and patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's and Lewy body diseases.

Please modify the Abstract as follows:Here we tested if the reactivity of posterior resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) alpha rhythms from the eye-closed to the eyes-open condition may differ in patients with dementia due to Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (ADD) as a functional probe of the dominant neural synchronization mechanisms regulating the vigilance in posterior visual systems.We used clinical, demographical, and rsEEG datasets in 28 older adults (Healthy), 42 DLB, and 48 ADD participants. The eLORETA freeware was used to estimate cortical rsEEG sources.

Clinical Perception and Treatment Options for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) in Italy.

Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have a high prevalence, and their presence is associated with a severe impact in terms of social costs. However, dedicated clinical tools or biomarkers to detect these symptoms are lacking. Thus, BPSD management in clinical settings is challenging.

Temporal learning in the suprasecond range: insights from cognitive style.

The acquisition of information on the timing of events or actions (temporal learning) occurs in both the subsecond and suprasecond range. However, although relevant differences between participants have been reported in temporal learning, the role of dimensions of individual variability in affecting performance in such tasks is still unclear. Here we investigated this issue, assessing the effect of field-dependent/independent cognitive style on temporal learning in the suprasecond range.

Accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) among the Italian Dementia Centers: a study by the Italian DLB study group (DLB-SINdem).

Introduction: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may represent a diagnostic challenge, since its clinical picture overlaps with other dementia. Two toolkits have been developed to aid the clinician to diagnose DLB: the Lewy Body Composite Risk Score (LBCRS) and the Assessment Toolkit for DLB (AT-DLB). We aim to evaluate the reliability of these two questionnaires, and their ability to enhance the interpretation of the international consensus diagnostic criteria.