Seizures in Alzheimer's disease: a retrospective study of a cohort of outpatients.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to define the frequency of seizures in a population of outpatients attending a cognitive function clinic in Italy and to identify risk factors for seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed our clinical records to gather information on patients' demographic, metabolic, cardiovascular and cognitive features. We sought to determine the significance of abnormal neuroimaging findings and the use of potentially epileptogenic drugs on the onset of seizures.

Asymmetric responses to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left and right primary motor cortex in a patient with lateralized progressive limb-kinetic apraxia.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (5 Hz-rTMS, 10 stimuli, 120% resting motor threshold intensity, RMT) produces in healthy subjects a progressive facilitation of motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude probably through a short-term enhancement of cortical excitatory interneurones. We had the opportunity to investigate the effect of 5 Hz-rTMS delivered over the right and left primary motor cortex (M1) in a patient with limb-kinetic apraxia of the left hand and fingers and reduced cerebral perfusion in the fronto-parietal cortex of the right hemisphere documented by single-photon emission computed tomography scans. Changes in the MEP size during the trains and the RMT were measured and compared between the hemispheres.

Prevalence of non-dementing cognitive disturbances and their association with vascular risk factors in an elderly population.

To assess the prevalence of "Cognitive Impairment No Dementia" (CIND) and circumscribed memory impairment (CMI) and to evaluate their association with vascular risk factors and stroke, we examined all people aged 65 years or over living in three rural Italian villages. The survey was conducted by means of a doorto-door 2-phase procedure. As phase 1 screening tests, we used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), or the Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ) for people with < 3 years of schooling.