Speech-related parameters are sensitive measures of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor therapy in mild Alzheimer's disease.

Our aim was to find out whether speech-related temporal parameters (SRTPs) are sensitive indicators of the clinical outcome in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor therapy with donepezil, compared to the standard cognitive Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) used in clinical trials. In this 24-week-long, naturalistic, self-control, open-labeled, prospective pilot study with 10 mg donepezil on 20 mild AD patients, cognitive functions were evaluated using 15 different SRTPs analyzed by automatic speech recognition in the Speech-Gap Test® compared to ADAS-Cog test results. Among the SRTPs, the filled pause duration ratio significantly improved after 12 weeks of donepezil treatment.

Temporal Speech Parameters Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment in Different Languages: Validation and Comparison of the Speech-GAP Test® in English and Hungarian.

Background: The development of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology allows the analysis of temporal (time-based) speech parameters characteristic of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, no information has been available on whether the analysis of spontaneous speech can be used with the same efficiency in different language environments.

Objective: The main goal of this international pilot study is to address the question of whether the Speech-Gap Test® (S-GAP Test®), previously tested in the Hungarian language, is appropriate for and applicable to the recognition of MCI in other languages such as English.

Temporal Speech Parameters Indicate Early Cognitive Decline in Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: The earliest signs of cognitive decline include deficits in temporal (time-based) speech characteristics. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are more prone to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The aim of this study was to compare the temporal speech characteristics of elderly (above 50 y) T2DM patients with age-matched nondiabetic subjects.

The Role of Silence in Verbal Fluency Tasks - A New Approach for the Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: Most recordings of verbal fluency tasks include substantial amounts of task-irrelevant content that could provide clinically valuable information for the detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We developed a method for the analysis of verbal fluency, focusing not on the task-relevant words but on the silent segments, the hesitations, and the irrelevant utterances found in the voice recordings.

Methods: Phonemic ('k', 't', 'a') and semantic (animals, food items, actions) verbal fluency data were collected from healthy control (HC; = 25; = 67.

Telltale silence: temporal speech parameters discriminate between prodromal dementia and mild Alzheimer's disease.

This study presents a novel approach for the early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD) in the elderly. Participants were 25 elderly controls (C), 25 clinically diagnosed MCI and 25 mAD patients, included after a clinical diagnosis validated by CT or MRI and cognitive tests. Our linguistic protocol involved three connected speech tasks that stimulate different memory systems, which were recorded, then analyzed linguistically by using the PRAAT software.

Hungarian general practitioners' attitude and the role of education in dementia care.

Background: Dementia in the elderly constitutes a growing challenge in healthcare worldwide, including Hungary. There is no previous report on the role of general practitioners in the management of dementia.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the Hungarian general practitioners' attitude toward their patients living with dementia as well as dementia care.

Dementia in Hungary: General practitioners' routines and perspectives regarding early recognition.

Undetected dementia in primary care is a global problem. Since general practitioners (GPs) act as the first step in the identification process, examining their routines could help us to enhance the currently low recognition rates. The study aimed to explore, for the first time in Hungary, the dementia identification practices and views of GPs.

Cognitive Functioning and Psychological Well-being in Breast Cancer Patients on Endocrine Therapy.

Background/aim: Anti-cancer therapies may deteriorate cognitive functioning, affective functioning and psychological well-being.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective longitudinal pilot study, premenopausal and postmenopausal patients received adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) (tamoxifen with or without LHRH analog or aromatase inhibitor) or were observed only (control group). At baseline testing and 6, 12 and 24 months thereafter, cognitive, depression and anxiety tests and quality of life (QOL) measurements were performed.

Application of BisANS fluorescent dye for developing a novel protein assay.

In many biology- and chemistry-related research fields and experiments the quantification of the peptide and/or protein concentration in samples are essential. Every research environment has unique requirements, e.g.

Association study of the ABCA7 rs3752246 polymorphism in Alzheimer's disease.

The ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 7 (ABCA7) gene has been identified as a strong genetic risk locus for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our case-control study (416 AD patients and 302 controls) provides further data on the rs3752246 polymorphism in AD in the Hungarian population that has not been investigated so far regarding the ABCA7 gene variants. A modest, marginally significant association of the G allele containing genotypes with AD was observed (p = 0.

Nilvadipine in mild to moderate Alzheimer disease: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: This study reports the findings of the first large-scale Phase III investigator-driven clinical trial to slow the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease with a dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blocker, nilvadipine. Nilvadipine, licensed to treat hypertension, reduces amyloid production, increases regional cerebral blood flow, and has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-tau activity in preclinical studies, properties that could have disease-modifying effects for Alzheimer disease. We aimed to determine if nilvadipine was effective in slowing cognitive decline in subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.

A Speech Recognition-based Solution for the Automatic Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment from Spontaneous Speech.

Background: Even today the reliable diagnosis of the prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a great challenge. Our research focuses on the earliest detectable indicators of cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Since the presence of language impairment has been reported even in the mild stage of AD, the aim of this study is to develop a sensitive neuropsychological screening method which is based on the analysis of spontaneous speech production during performing a memory task.

ABCA1 rs2230805 and rs2230806 common gene variants are associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 1 gene (ABCA1) is a relevant positional and functional candidate gene for Alzheimer's disease (AD). A case-control association study of genetic variations covering the ABCA1 locus was performed in relation to AD risk in a Hungarian sample. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2422493: C-477T, rs2740483: G-17C, rs2230805: G474A/L158L, rs2230806: G656A/R219K and rs2066718: G2311A/V771M) were genotyped in 431 AD patients and 302 cognitively healthy, elderly controls.

Adiponectin Receptors Are Less Sensitive to Stress in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Adiponectin and leptin are implicated in the initiation and pathomechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The serum concentrations of these adipokines has been extensively studied in AD, however little is known about their receptors in this disease. We developed a novel approach to examine whether the receptors of adiponectin (AdipoR1 and -R2) and/or leptin (LepR) can contribute to AD pathomechanism.

Alterations of membrane protein expression in red blood cells of Alzheimer's disease patients.

Preventive measures, prognosis, or selected therapy in multifactorial maladies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), require the application of a wide range of diagnostic assays. There is a large unmet need for relatively simple, blood-based biomarkers in this regard. We have recently developed a rapid and reliable flow cytometry and antibody-based method for the quantitative measurement of various red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins from a drop of blood.

Relevance of defensin β-2 and α defensins (HNP1-3) in Alzheimer's disease.

The DEFB4 gene copy numbers were investigated in 206 AD patients and in 250 controls. The levels of the human defensin β-2 (hBD2) and α-defensins (HNP 1-3) in the sera and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the patients and the controls were determined. Higher copy numbers of the DEFB4 gene was observed in AD patients as compared with the controls.

Restraint Stress-Induced Morphological Changes at the Blood-Brain Barrier in Adult Rats.

Stress is well-known to contribute to the development of both neurological and psychiatric diseases. While the role of the blood-brain barrier is increasingly recognized in the development of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier has been linked to stress-related psychiatric diseases only recently. In the present study the effects of restraint stress with different duration (1, 3, and 21 days) were investigated on the morphology of the blood-brain barrier in male adult Wistar rats.

Speaking in Alzheimer's Disease, is That an Early Sign? Importance of Changes in Language Abilities in Alzheimer's Disease.

It is known that Alzheimer's disease (AD) influences the temporal characteristics of spontaneous speech. These phonetical changes are present even in mild AD. Based on this, the question arises whether an examination based on language analysis could help the early diagnosis of AD and if so, which language and speech characteristics can identify AD in its early stage.

Genetic analysis of the RELN gene: Gender specific association with Alzheimer's disease.

Association between genetic variants of the reelin (RELN) gene and the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) was examined in a sample of 432 patients and 308 controls. Single marker and haplotype analyses revealed that the strongly linked rs528528 and rs607755 polymorphisms are associated with AD risk in a gender specific manner. Among men, but not in women the rs528528 T/T and rs607755 A/A genotypes were significantly associated with the susceptibility to AD.

[Frailty syndrome: an old new friend].

Frailty syndrome is defined as extreme stress vulnerability and decreased potential to adapt. The elderly and chronically ill patients are affected mostly. This condition increases the risk of adverse health outcomes as infections, falls, delirium, institutionalization, progression of comorbidities and mortality.

Proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer's disease: wanted dead or alive.

Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) relying on symptomatic features has a low specificity, emphasizing the importance of the pragmatic use of neurochemical biomarkers. The most advanced and reliable markers are amyloid-β (Aβ42), total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with relatively high levels of sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy. Recent advances within the field of proteomics offer the potential to search for novel biomarkers in CSF by using modern methods, such as microarrays.

ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism influences the risk for Alzheimer's disease.

To evaluate the association of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) genetic variants with the susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD), we genotyped the rs1128503 (C1236T), rs2032582 (G2677T/A), and rs1045642 (C3435T) polymorphisms in a case-control sample (234 AD patients, 225 controls). Single-marker analyses revealed a significant association solely for the rs1045642 polymorphism (C/C genotype carriers had increased risk for AD), which remains significant after correction for multiple testing. Haplotype analyses indicated three nominally significant associations which were lost after applying multiple test correction.

Association between the 9 repeat allele of the dopamine transporter 40bp variable tandem repeat polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease.

A case-control study was performed to investigate the association between the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene (SLC6A3) rs28363170 polymorphism and the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our results indicated a statistically significant correlation between the inheritance of the SLC6A3 9 repeat allele and the genetic susceptibility to AD in a dose-dependent manner.

Is there any difference between the findings of Clock Drawing Tests if the clocks show different times?

Background: The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is a widely-used, rapid assessment tool for the screening of cognitive decline though its evaluation and interpretation are still not uniform. The aim of present study was to investigate the difference in sensitivity and specificity of two types of CDTs and to compare the clinical benefits of quantitative and semiquantitative scoring systems.

Objective: To investigate the difference in sensitivity and specificity of two types of CDTs and to compare the clinical benefits of quantitative and semiquantitative scoring systems.

Increase in Alzheimer's related markers preceeds memory disturbances: studies in vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. For more effective therapy early diagnostic markers could be beneficial. Therefore we compared one year old rats with adults and examined if changes in possible brain markers of AD preceeded memory decline.