Neuropsychological profiles associated with subcortical white matter alterations and Parkinson's disease: implications for the diagnosis of dementia.

Despite the emergence of a number of new classification systems, the diagnosis of cerebrovascular dementia remains controversial. Also controversial is the significance of periventricular and deep white matter alterations (WMA) as seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To further clarify this issue, MRI scans were used to regroup patients clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (IVD) into cohorts presenting with either little versus significant WMA on MRI.

Declarative and procedural learning, quantitative measures of the hippocampus, and subcortical white alterations in Alzheimer's disease and ischaemic vascular dementia.

This research investigated whether subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ischaemic vascular dementia (IVD) associated with periventricular and deep white matter alterations can be dissociated on tests of declarative and procedural memory, as well as on MRI indices of white matter alterations and the size of the hippocampal formation. The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) and the Pursuit Rotor Learning Tests (PRLT) were used to measure declarative and procedural memory, respectively. Subjects with IVD obtained a higher score on the CVLT recognition discriminability index; however, on the PRLT total time on target, carry-over between trial blocks, and slope calculated for all test trials was low.

Dementia associated with periventricular and deep white matter alterations: a subtype of subcortical dementia.

This research examined the neuropsychological functioning of demented patients with periventricular and deep white matter alterations. Thirty-three outpatients with NINCDS-ADRDA probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 27 outpatients with probable/ possible ischaemic vascular dementia (IVD, Chui et al., 1992) associated with periventricular and deep white matter alterations matched for age, education, level of dementia, and functional disability were studied.

The effect of pulmonary edema on proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times.

This study was done to determine the effect of permeability pulmonary edema on proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation times. Permeability edema was induced in rats by the intravenous injection of alloxan in saline. Control animals received only saline.