Cognitive, behavioral, neuroimaging and inflammatory biomarkers after hospitalization for covid-19 in Brazil.

Post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC) refers to a multisystemic syndrome that persists for months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cognitive deficits, fatigue, depression, and anxiety are common manifestations of the condition, but the underlying mechanisms driving these long-lasting neuropsychiatric features are still unclear. We conducted a prospective multi-method investigation of post-hospitalization COVID-19 patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Prefrontal tDCS modulates autonomic responses in COVID-19 inpatients.

Background: maladaptive changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have been observed in short and long-term phases of COVID-19 infection. Identifying effective treatments to modulate autonomic imbalance could be a strategy for preventing and reducing disease severity and induced complications.

Objective: to investigate the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of a single session of bihemispheric prefrontal tDCS on indicators of cardiac autonomic regulation and mood of COVID-19 inpatients.

Diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment: recommendations of the scientific department of cognitive neurology and aging of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology.

Since the publication of the latest recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of Vascular Dementia by the Brazilian Academy of Neurology in 2011, significant advances on the terminology and diagnostic criteria have been made. This manuscript is the result of a consensus among experts appointed by the Scientific Department of Cognitive Neurology and Aging of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (2020-2022). We aimed to update practical recommendations for the identification, classification, and diagnosis of Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI).

Mild Cognitive Impairment or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Older Adults? A Cross Sectional Study.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition, which may be associated with life-enduring cognitive dysfunction. It has been hypothesized that age-related cognitive decline may overlap with preexisting deficits in older ADHD patients, leading to increased problems to manage everyday-life activities. This phenomenon may mimic neurodegenerative disorders, in particular Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Anosognosia in dementia with Lewy bodies: a systematic review.

Background: Anosognosia, i.e. lack of awareness of one's own symptoms, is a very common finding in patients with dementia and is related to neuropsychiatric symptoms and worse prognosis.

Network analysis of narrative discourse and attention-deficit hyperactivity symptoms in adults.

Previous research investigating language in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has demonstrated several deficits in many aspects. However, no previous study employed quantitative methodology providing objective measures that could be compared among different studies with diverse samples. To fill this gap, we used network analysis to investigate how ADHD symptomatology impacts narrative discourse, a complex linguistic task considered to be an ecological measure of language.

Anosognosia for memory in dementia with Lewy bodies compared with Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: Anosognosia is the inability to recognize one's own symptoms. Although dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common degenerative dementia, there is little evidence of memory deficit awareness in this condition. The objectives of this research were to compare anosognosia between individuals with DLB and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to evaluate whether medial temporal atrophy, a marker of AD pathology, could help to explain different rates of anosognosia in DLB and dementia due to AD.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in brain diseases - historical foundations.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, which may appear alone or combined with cognitive and neurological manifestations, are frequent in many brain dysfunctions or lesions due to vascular, traumatic, neurodegenerative, or systemic conditions. Throughout history, many of the most prominent names have contributed to the clinical definition of the currently recognized mental symptoms and syndromes. The present paper aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the development, from ancient to modern times, of some widely known concepts and constructs about such neuropsychiatric disorders.

Narrative impairment, white matter damage and CSF biomarkers in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Background: Narrative discourse (ND) refers to one's ability to verbally reproduce a sequence of temporally and logically-linked events. Impairments in ND may occur in subjects with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD), but correlates across this function, neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers remain understudied.

Objectives: We sought to measure correlates among ND, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) indexes and AD CSF biomarkers in patients within the AD spectrum.

Inter-method and anatomical correlates of episodic memory tests in the Alzheimer's Disease spectrum.

Background: Episodic memory impairments have been described as initial clinical findings in the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) spectrum, which could be associated with the presence of early hippocampal dysfunction. However, correlates between performances in neuropsychological tests and hippocampal volumes in AD were inconclusive in the literature. Divergent methods to assess episodic memory have been depicted as a major source of heterogeneity across studies.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and executive function impairments in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: The role of subcortical circuits.

Unlabelled: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia are prevalent, under-recognized and little studied regarding their pathophysiological aspects. The pathophysiological mechanism, as well as the possible role of vascular lesions in the genesis of these symptoms, are still matters of debate.

Objective: to describe and compare the prevalence and severity of NPS in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD).

White Matter Microstructural Changes and Episodic Memory Disturbances in Late-Onset Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with distributed network disruption, but little is known on how different clinical subtypes, particularly those with an earlier and later onset of disease, are related to connectivity changes in white matter (WM) tracts. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and volumetric measures were carried out in early-onset bipolar patients [(EOD) ( = 16)], late-onset bipolar disorder [(LOD)( = 14)] and healthy controls ( = 32). We also computed ROI analysis of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes using the regions with significant group differences in the DTI parameters.

Metabolic Syndrome and cognitive decline in the elderly: A systematic review.

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of metabolic disturbances which is associated with increased risk for vascular and degenerative conditions in general population. Although the relationship between vascular risk factors and dementia is undisputable, additional hazard for cognitive decline in older population with concurrent metabolic disorders still waits to be demonstrated. The present review aims to analyze data on MetS and risk for cognitive decline in elderly persons.

A continuum of executive function deficits in early subcortical vascular cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Subcortical Vascular Cognitive Impairment (SVCI) is a clinical continuum of vascular-related cognitive impairment, including Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment (VaMCI) and Vascular Dementia. Deficits in Executive Function (EF) are hallmarks of the disorder, but the best methods to assess this function have yet to be determined. The insidious and almost predictable course of SVCI and the multidimensional concept of EF suggest that a temporal dissociation of impairments in EF domains exists early in the disorder.

A panel of clinical and neuropathological features of cerebrovascular disease through the novel neuroimaging methods.

Unlabelled: The last decade has witnessed substantial progress in acquiring diagnostic biomarkers for the diagnostic workup of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Advanced neuroimaging methods not only provide a strategic contribution for the differential diagnosis of vascular dementia (VaD) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), but also help elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms ultimately leading to small vessel disease (SVD) throughout its course.

Objective: In this review, the novel imaging methods, both structural and metabolic, were summarized and their impact on the diagnostic workup of age-related CVD was analysed.

Percheron thalamopeduncular syndrome with cervical dystonia: A case report.

Bilateral thalamic infarctions are usually caused by occlusion of the "Artery of Percheron" (AoP). Thalamopeduncular syndrome is among the most common presentations of AoP occlusion. A 59-year-old male presented abrupt decreased level of consciousness.

Financial capacity in dementia: a systematic review.

Objectives: Financial capacity (FC) refers to a set of cognitively mediated abilities related to one's competency to manage propriety and income. Identifying intact from impaired FC in older persons with dementia is a growing concern in geriatric practice, but the best methods to assess this function still need to be determined. This study aims to review data on FC in dementia and on instruments used to assess this domain of capacity.

Neuroimaging Findings Related to Behavioral Disturbances in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review.

Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have been linked to structural and functional alterations in fronto-temporal circuits and cortical abnormalities. However, little is known on how specific volumetric and functional brain changes may be associated with the frequency, severity and pattern of BPSD.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature regarding neuroimaging and BPSD changes in AD was performed through Pubmed/Medline, ISI, and EMBASE electronic databases from January 2000 to May 2015.

Subcortical Vascular Cognitive Impairment staged through cdr's functional subsum (cdr-func): Preliminary results from an outpatient sample.

Background: Staging vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) might be useful for sample selection in clinical trials and for guiding clinical decision-making. Clinical dementia rating (CDR) has been applied for staging cognitive impairments of different etiologies, but it may underestimate severity of non-Alzheimer's disease cognitive deficits.

Methods: Out of a total of 147 elderly subjects, 23 (mean age: 72.

Cadasil - genetic and ultrastructural diagnosis. Case report.

Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a hereditary disorder which affects the cerebral vasculature due to mutations in the NOTCH 3 gene. The diagnosis may be established through genetic testing for detection of these mutations and/or by skin biopsy. We report a case of the disorder in a female patient, who presented recurrent transient ischemic attacks that evolved to progressive subcortical dementia.

Neuroimaging criteria and cognitive performance in vascular mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review.

Unlabelled: The recognition of Cerebrovascular Disease (CVD) at earlier clinical stages may favor the control of vascular risk factors and prevention of dementia. However, operational criteria for symptomatic phases at non-dementia stages are often difficult, as the current criteria normally require the evidence of extensive subcortical disease.

Objective: To identify the neuroimaging profile of Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment (VaMCI), the impact of those aspects over cognition and the neuropsychological tests that distinguished VaMCI from other groups.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Vascular Cognitive Impairment: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Neuropsychiatric symptoms or Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are common and invariably appear at some point during the course of the disease, mediated both by cerebrovascular disease and neurodegenerative processes. Few studies have compared the profiles of BPSD in Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) of different subtypes (subcortical or cortical) and clinical stages (Vascular Cognitive Impairment No Dementia [VaCIND] and Vascular Dementia [VaD]).

Objective: To review the BPSD associated with different subtypes and stages of VCI using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI).