Publications by authors named "Melanie Bieler-Aeschlimann"

People with HIV may report neurocognitive complaints, with or without associated neurocognitive impairment, varying between individuals and populations. While the HIV genome could play a major role, large systematic viral genome-wide screens to date are lacking. The Swiss HIV Cohort Study biannually enquires neurocognitive complaints.

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The possibility of flexibly retrieving our memories using a first-person or a third-person perspective (1PP or 3PP) has been extensively investigated in episodic memory research. Here, we used a Virtual Reality-based paradigm to manipulate the visual perspective used during the encoding stage to investigate age-related differences in the formation of memories experienced from 1PP vs. 3PP.

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A "Long COVID" care management was created at the Leenaards Memory Centre (Lausanne University Hospital) to meet the high demand for neuropsychological examinations in the patients which have persistent symptoms for several months. A multidisciplinary evaluation specifically addressing aspects of fatigue and sleep as well as cognition has been developed to receive these patients. Depending on the severity of their symptoms, they are then oriented towards a holistic group treatment, integrating cognitive remediation including psycho-education, restorative and compensatory methods to cope with their cognitive difficulties, and tools to manage the various symptoms of COVID-long (fatigue, insomnia, stress, depression and reduced quality of life).

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Current recommendations for the management of neurocognitive complaints in people living with HIV (PLWH) include a series of evaluations that may start with the exclusion of depression followed by a stepwise approach comprised by neurological, neuropsychological and psychiatric assessment, alongside the performance of an MRI and a lumbar puncture. This extensive evaluation is time demanding, and face PLHW with multiple medical consultations and waiting lists. As a response to these challenges, we have developed a one-day Neuro-HIV platform where PLWH undergo a state of the art multidisciplinary assessment in order to provide the necessary diagnoses and interventions to improve their quality of life.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Observational studies suggest that improved vascular health and healthier lifestyles may help prevent dementia and cognitive decline, but the aging population requires more focused prevention strategies to reduce its prevalence and impact.
  • - Evidence supports the effectiveness of preventive interventions for individuals at high risk for dementia, even those with normal cognitive function.
  • - The text outlines recommendations for establishing second-generation memory clinics (Brain Health Services) aimed at ethical dementia prevention, detailing key interventions like risk assessment, communication, multi-domain risk reduction, and cognitive enhancement strategies.
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Background: We previously showed that anticholinergic (ACH) medications contribute to self-reported neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in elderly people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). The current cross-sectional study further evaluated the effect of ACH and sedative drugs on neurocognitive function in PWH who underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation.

Methods: A medication review was performed in PWH enrolled in the prospective Neurocognitive Assessment in Metabolic and Aging Cohort within the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

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Purpose Of Review: Cognitive decline because of aging and neurodegeneration has become increasingly prevalent. This calls for the implementation of efficacious, motivating, standardized and widely available cognitive interventions for the elderly. In this context, serious video games and virtual reality may represent promising approaches.

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In this paper, we advocate the combination of four key ingredients that we believe are necessary to design long-lasting effective treatments for neurorehabilitation: (i) motor-cognitive training, (ii) evidence-based neuroscience principles, in particular those related to body perception, (iii) motivational games, and (iv) empowerment techniques. Then, we propose virtual reality (VR) as the appropriate medium to encompass all the requirements mentioned above. VR is arguably one of the most suitable technologies for neurorehabilitation able to integrate evidence-based neurorehabilitation techniques and neuroscience principles into motivating training approaches that promote self-management by empowering patients to own their recovery process.

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