Relationship Between Amyloid Positivity and Sleep Characteristics in the Elderly With Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Background And Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive decline in cognition and performance of daily activities. Recent studies have attempted to establish the relationship between AD and sleep. It is believed that patients with AD pathology show altered sleep characteristics years before clinical symptoms appear.

A Longitudinal Study on Memory Enhancement in Subjective Cognitive Decline Patients: Clinical and Neuroimaging Perspectives.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) refers to the self-reported persistent cognitive decline despite normal objective testing, increasing the risk of dementia compared to cognitively normal individuals.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the attributes of SCD patients who demonstrated memory function improvement.

Methods: In this prospective study of SCD, a total of 120 subjects were enrolled as part of a multicenter cohort study aimed at identifying predictors for the clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment or dementia (CoSCo study).

Impacts of baseline biomarkers on cognitive trajectories in subjective cognitive decline: the CoSCo prospective cohort study.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the rates of cognitive decline are variable according to underlying pathologies and biomarker status. We conducted an observational study and aimed to investigate baseline characteristics and biomarkers related with cognitive declines in SCD. Our study also assessed whether SCD participants showed different cognitive and biomarker trajectories according to baseline amyloid deposition.

Clinical Significance of Physical Frailty in Subjects With Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Prospective Study With Amyloid PET Data.

Background And Purpose: Physical frailty is known to be closely associated with cognitive impairment and to be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. We aimed to understand the characteristics of physical frailty and define factors associated with physical frailty in subjects with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by analyzing amyloid data.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled subjects with SCD from a cohort study to identify predictors for the clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment or dementia from SCD (CoSCo).

Electroencephalography for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease in Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Background And Purpose: Early detection of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is important for clinical research and effective prevention and management. This study examined if quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) could be used for early detection of AD in SCD.

Methods: Participants with SCD from 6 dementia clinics in Korea were enrolled.

Study Design and Baseline Results in a Cohort Study to Identify Predictors for the Clinical Progression to Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia From Subjective Cognitive Decline (CoSCo) Study.

Background And Purpose: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) refers to the self-perception of cognitive decline with normal performance on objective neuropsychological tests. SCD, which is the first help-seeking stage and the last stage before the clinical disease stage, can be considered to be the most appropriate time for prevention and treatment. This study aimed to compare characteristics between the amyloid positive and amyloid negative groups of SCD patients.

The Effect of Hearing Loss on Cognitive Function in Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Introduction: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a self-reported cognitive decline without objective cognitive impairment. The relationship between audiometric hearing loss (HL) and cognitive function has not been reported in SCD. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether HL affects cognition-related indexes in SCD individuals.

Subtle Cognitive Deficits Are Associated with Amyloid-β Positivity, but Not Severity of Self-Reported Decline: Results from the CoSCo Study.

Introduction: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) can be considered as the preclinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association criteria for preclinical AD proposed that subtle cognitive changes appear along with AD biomarkers in the late stage of preclinical AD. The objective of this study was to explore whether subtle cognitive impairment (SCI) in individuals with SCD is associated with brain amyloid-β (Aβ) status and SCD severity.

Coping with Dementia in the Middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Multiple neurological complications have been associated with the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. This is a narrative review to gather information on all aspects of COVID-19 in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. First, the following three mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the neurological complications associated with COVID-19: 1) direct invasion, 2) immune and inflammatory reaction, and 3) hypoxic brain damage by COVID-19.

Driving Cessation and Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Although driving by adults with cognitive impairment is an important public health concern, little is known about the indicators of driving cessation in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We aimed to investigate the prevalence of driving cessation in patients with MCI and the predictive value of cognitive performances for driving cessation. Patients with MCI were recruited in the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital; they met following inclusion criteria.

Preparation of Hollow Nitrogen Doped Carbon via Stresses Induced Orientation Contraction.

Hollow structured materials are widely applicable in various fields. Although many routes have been explored for getting such materials, a strategy mainly based on physical effect is still deficient. Herein, a "stresses induced orientation contraction" mechanism for preparation of hollow structures is reported.

Novel PSEN1 p.Gly417Ala mutation in a Korean patient with early-onset Alzheimer's disease with parkinsonism.

Mutations in presenilin 1 (PSEN1) are the most common cause of autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report a 37-year-old male Korean patient carrying a PSEN1 p.Gly417Ala mutation with exceptionally early and severe presentations, including a wide range of atypical symptoms of rapid cognitive decline with a stooped posture, rigidity, and bradykinesia.

Oligomeric forms of amyloid-β protein in plasma as a potential blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers are the major toxic substances associated with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ability to measure Aβ oligomer levels in the blood would provide simple and minimally invasive tools for AD diagnostics. In the present study, the recently developed Multimer Detection System (MDS) for AD, a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring Aβ oligomers selectively, was used to detect Aβ oligomers in the plasma of patients with AD and healthy control individuals.

Dynamic changes of oligomeric amyloid β levels in plasma induced by spiked synthetic Aβ.

Background: A reliable blood-based assay is required to properly diagnose and monitor Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many attempts have been made to develop such a diagnostic tool by measuring amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) in the blood, but none have been successful in terms of method reliability. We present a multimer detection system (MDS), initially developed for the detection of prion oligomers in the blood, to detect AβOs.

Chinese Medicine: A Hope for Neurodegenerative Diseases?

With the increase in the proportion of aged population due to the rapid increase of life expectancy, the worldwide prevalence rate of multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease has been increased dramatically. The demographic trend toward an older population has drawn the attention to new drug discovery and treatment on age-related diseases. Although a panel of drugs and/or therapies are currently available for treating the neurodegenerative diseases, side effects or insufficient drug efficacy have been reported.

Visual Rating of Posterior Atrophy as a Marker of Progression to Dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients.

Background: Although medial temporal atrophy (MTA) is a useful imaging marker of the progression to dementia in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), substantial numbers of MCI patients without MTA still progress to dementia.

Objective: We investigated whether visual ratings of posterior atrophy (PA) on magnetic resonance imaging show independent predictive value for the progression to dementia in MCI patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of elderly patients who visited Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 2004 and 2012.

Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid and [11C]PIB PET Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease with Updated Protocols.

Background: Recently, a Korean research group suggested a consensus protocol, based on the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study protocol but with modifications for minimizing the confounding factors, for the evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

Objective: Here, we analyzed fluid and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Korean population. We used the updated protocol to propose a more accurate CSF biomarker value for the diagnosis of AD.

The Clinical Stages of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with Met/Met Genotype in Korean Patients.

Background: Clinical diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is currently based on changes occurring in the late disease stages, which limits early-stage detection. Therefore, we investigated the disease course from the vague symptomatic to the terminal phase.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 36 sCJD patient records, classifying the disease progression into 4 stages based on clinical manifestations: vague symptomatic, possible CJD, probable CJD and chronic vegetative state.

Longitudinal Cerebral Perfusion Change in Transient Global Amnesia Related to Left Posterior Medial Network Disruption.

Background: The pathophysiology of transient global amnesia (TGA) is not fully understood. Previous studies using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have reported inconclusive results regarding cerebral perfusion. This study was conducted to identify the patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in TGA patients via longitudinal SPECT analysis.

Executive function as a strong predictor of recovery from disability in patients with acute stroke: a preliminary study.

Background: Cognitive impairment impedes stroke rehabilitation. However, it is unclear whether cognitive impairment of specific domains or the degree of severity is more critical to functional recovery in patients with poststroke disability.

Methods: We identified 182 patients who were disabled at 3 months after acute stroke, as defined by a modified Rankin Scale score of 2-5.

Neuromodulation of thought: flexibilities and vulnerabilities in prefrontal cortical network synapses.

This review describes unique neuromodulatory influences on working memory prefrontal cortical (PFC) circuits that coordinate cognitive strength with arousal state. Working memory arises from recurrent excitation within layer III PFC pyramidal cell NMDA circuits, which are afflicted in aging and schizophrenia. Neuromodulators rapidly and flexibly alter the efficacy of these synaptic connections, while leaving the synaptic architecture unchanged, a process called dynamic network connectivity (DNC).

Anti-oxidative stress effects of Herba leonuri on ischemic rat hearts.

Our current study was to test the hypothesis that the extract of Herba leonuri (HL) would have antioxidant and cardioprotective effects on ischemic myocardium. The extract of HL (400 mg/kg/day) was administered orally (daily) starting from 1 week before and continuing until 3 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI). Surviving rats were sacrificed at different time points to obtain left ventricles for biochemical assays.