Is dietary choline intake related to dementia and Alzheimer's disease risks? Results from the Framingham Heart Study.

Background: The positive association of choline for cognition has been reported in both animal and human studies, yet the associations of choline with the risks of incident dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD) in humans is unclear.

Objectives: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that lower or higher dietary choline intake is associated with increased or decreased, respectively, risks of incident dementia and AD.

Methods: Data from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort exam 5 to exam 9 were used.

Neuropsychological Criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Framingham Heart Study's Old-Old.

Background/aims: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) lacks a "gold standard" operational definition. The Jak/Bondi actuarial neuropsychological criteria for MCI are associated with improved diagnostic stability and prediction of progression to dementia compared to conventional MCI diagnostic approaches, although its utility in diagnosing MCI in old-old individuals (age 75+) is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the applicability of neuropsychological MCI criteria among old-old from the Framingham Heart Study.

Population Normative Data for the CERAD Word List and Victoria Stroop Test in Younger- and Middle-Aged Adults: Cross-Sectional Analyses from the Framingham Heart Study.

Background/study Context: To provide baseline normative data on tests of verbal memory and executive function for nondemented younger- and middle-aged adults.

Methods: The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease word list memory task (CERAD-WL) and Victoria Stroop Test (VST) were administered to 3362 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) volunteer participants aged 24-78 years. Analyses of the effects of age, gender, and education were conducted.

Qualitative neuropsychological measures: normative data on executive functioning tests from the Framingham offspring study.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Studies have found that executive functioning is affected early in the pathophysiological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. There also exists a range of functioning on executive tasks during normal aging. Although qualitative data are commonly utilized in clinical practice for evaluating subtle changes in cognitive functioning and diagnostic discernment, it is not clear whether error responses used in clinical practice are also evident as normative behavior.

The Framingham Heart Study clock drawing performance: normative data from the offspring cohort.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Although the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is a popular tool used to assess cognitive function, limited normative data on CDT performance exist. The objective of the current study was to provide normative data on an expanded version of previous CDT scoring protocols from a large community-based sample of middle to older adults (aged 43 to 91) from the Framingham Heart Study.

Methods: The CDT was administered to 1476 Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort participants using a scoring protocol that assigned error scores to drawn features.

MRI and neuropsychological correlates of carbon monoxide exposure: a case report.

A 45-year-old woman experienced long-term, chronic exposure to carbon monoxide in the restaurant kitchen where she was employed as a cook. After returning to the restaurant after 5 days off work, she noticed that her symptoms returned immediately; she then aired out the room and called the gas company. Approximately 6 hr after a leak was detected, the patient went to the hospital, where her carboxyhemoglobin was found to be within normal limits and results of a neurologic examination were described as normal.