Trigger factors in patients with a patent foramen ovale-associated stroke: A case-crossover study.

Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a congenital anatomical variant which is associated with strokes in young adults. Contrary to vascular risk factors and atherosclerosis, a PFO is present from birth. However, it is completely unknown how an anatomical structure that is already present at birth in a large proportion of the population can convert into a PFO that causes stroke in a few.

Short-Term and Long-Term Risk of Recurrent Vascular Event by Cause After Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults.

Importance: Cause of ischemic stroke in young people is highly variable; however, the risk of recurrence is often presented with all subtypes of stroke grouped together in classification systems such as the Trial of ORG (danaparoid sodium [Orgaran]) 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria, which limits the ability to individually inform young patients with stroke about their risk of recurrence.

Objective: To determine the short-term and long-term risk of recurrent vascular events after ischemic stroke at a young age by stroke cause and to identify factors associated with recurrence.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study used data from the Observational Dutch Young Symptomatic Stroke Study, a prospective, multicenter, hospital-based cohort study, conducted at 17 hospitals in the Netherlands between 2013 and 2021.

Cognitive trajectory in the first year after first-ever ischaemic stroke in young adults: the ODYSSEY study.

Background: Limited data exists on cognitive recovery in young stroke patients. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal course of cognitive performance during the first year after stroke at young age and identify predictors for cognitive recovery.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre prospective cohort study between 2013 and 2021, enrolling patients aged 18-49 years with first-ever ischaemic stroke.

Effects of the DICE Method to Improve Timely Recognition and Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Early Alzheimer's Disease at the Memory Clinic: The BEAT-IT Study.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are associated with negative outcomes. However, NPS are currently underrecognized at the memory clinic and non-pharmacological interventions are scarcely implemented.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate (DICE) methodâ„¢ to improve the care for NPS in AD at the memory clinic.

Subacute cognitive impairment after first-ever transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke in young adults: The ODYSSEY study.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of cognitive impairment in the subacute phase after transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke (IS), factors associated with a vascular cognitive disorder, and the prevalence of subjective cognitive complaints and their relation with objective cognitive performance.

Patients And Methods: In this multicenter prospective cohort study, we recruited patients with first-ever TIA and IS, aged 18-49 years, between 2013 and 2021 for cognitive assessment up to 6 months after index event. We calculated composite Z-scores for seven cognitive domains.

Risk Factors and Causes of Ischemic Stroke in 1322 Young Adults.

Background: Identification of risk factors and causes of stroke is key to optimize treatment and prevent recurrence. Up to one-third of young patients with stroke have a cryptogenic stroke according to current classification systems (Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment [TOAST] and atherosclerosis, small vessel disease, cardiac pathology, other causes, dissection [ASCOD]). The aim was to identify risk factors and leads for (new) causes of cryptogenic ischemic stroke in young adults, using the pediatric classification system from the IPSS study (International Pediatric Stroke Study).

Trigger Factors for Stroke in Young Adults: A Case-Crossover Study.

Background And Objectives: Causes of stroke in young adults differ from those in the elderly individuals, and in a larger percentage, no cause can be determined. To gain more insight into the etiology of (cryptogenic) stroke in the young population, we investigated whether trigger factors, such as short-lasting exposure to toxins or infection, may play a role.

Methods: Patients aged 18-49 years with a first-ever ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in 17 participating centers in the Netherlands completed a questionnaire about exposure to 9 potential trigger factors in hazard periods and on a regular yearly basis.

Sjögren-Larsson syndrome: The mild end of the phenotypic spectrum.

Sjögren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) is a rare inborn error of lipid metabolism. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the gene, resulting in a deficiency of fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase. Most patients have a clearly recognizable severe phenotype, with congenital ichthyosis, intellectual disability, and spastic diplegia.

Early recognition and treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms to improve quality of life in early Alzheimer's disease: protocol of the BEAT-IT study.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are very common in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and are associated with various disadvantageous clinical outcomes including a negative impact on quality of life, caregiver burden, and accelerated disease progression. Despite growing evidence of the efficacy of (non)pharmacological interventions to reduce these symptoms, NPS remain underrecognized and undertreated in memory clinics. The BEhavioural symptoms in Alzheimer's disease Towards early Identification and Treatment (BEAT-IT) study is developed to (1) investigate the neurobiological etiology of NPS in AD and (2) study the effectiveness of the Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate (DICE) approach to structure and standardize the current care of NPS in AD.

[Vitamin B6 deficiency caused by the use of levodopa].

Background: There are indications that the use of levodopa/carbidopa can cause symptomatic vitamin B6 deficiency. However, this has only been described for patients who used the product in the form of an intestinal gel.

Case Description: We are describing 3 patients who developed vitamin B6 deficiency while using levodopa/carbidopa in tablet form.

Cognition and gray and white matter characteristics of presymptomatic repeat expansion.

Objective: To investigate cognitive function, gray matter volume, and white matter integrity in the presymptomatic stage of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 repeat expansion ().

Methods: Presymptomatic carriers (n = 18) and first-degree family members without a pathogenic expansion (healthy controls [HC], n = 15) underwent a standardized protocol of neuropsychological tests, T1-weighted MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging within our cohort study of autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We investigated group differences in cognitive function, gray matter volume through voxel-based morphometry, and white matter integrity by means of tract-based spatial statistics.

Cerebral blood flow in presymptomatic MAPT and GRN mutation carriers: A longitudinal arterial spin labeling study.

Objective: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is characterized by behavioral disturbances and language problems. Familial forms can be caused by genetic defects in microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), progranulin (GRN), and C9orf72. In light of upcoming clinical trials with potential disease-modifying agents, the development of sensitive biomarkers to evaluate such agents in the earliest stage of FTD is crucial.

Presymptomatic cognitive decline in familial frontotemporal dementia: A longitudinal study.

Objective: In this prospective cohort study, we performed a 2-year follow-up study with neuropsychological assessment in the presymptomatic phase of familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) due to GRN and MAPT mutations to explore the prognostic value of neuropsychological assessment in the earliest FTD disease stages.

Methods: Healthy, at-risk, first-degree relatives of patients with FTD who had a MAPT (n = 13) or GRN mutation (n = 30) and healthy controls (n = 39) underwent neuropsychological assessment at baseline and 2-year follow-up. We investigated baseline and longitudinal differences, as well as relationship with age and estimated years before symptom onset.

Structural and functional brain connectivity in presymptomatic familial frontotemporal dementia.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether cognitive deficits and structural and functional connectivity changes can be detected before symptom onset in a large cohort of carriers of MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau) or GRN (progranulin) mutations.

Methods: In this case-control study, 75 healthy individuals (aged 20-70 years) with 50% risk of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) underwent DNA screening, neuropsychological assessment, structural MRI, and fMRI. We used voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics for voxel-wise analyses of gray matter volume and diffusion tensor imaging measures.

Observational Dutch Young Symptomatic StrokE studY (ODYSSEY): study rationale and protocol of a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: The proportion of strokes occurring in younger adults has been rising over the past decade. Due to the far longer life expectancy in the young, stroke in this group has an even larger socio-economic impact. However, information on etiology and prognosis remains scarce.

Hippocampal shape is predictive for the development of dementia in a normal, elderly population.

Previous studies have shown that hippocampal volume is an early marker for dementia. We investigated whether hippocampal shape characteristics extracted from MRI scans are predictive for the development of dementia during follow up in subjects who were nondemented at baseline. Furthermore, we assessed whether hippocampal shape provides additional predictive value independent of hippocampal volume.

Total antioxidant capacity of the diet and major neurologic outcomes in older adults.

Objective: To evaluate total antioxidant capacity of the diet, measured by the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, in relation to risks of dementia and stroke, as well as key structural brain volumes, in the elderly.

Methods: We prospectively studied 5,395 participants in the Rotterdam Study, aged 55 years and older, who were dementia free and provided dietary information at study baseline; 5,285 individuals were also stroke free at baseline, and 462 were dementia and stroke free at the time of an MRI brain scan 5 years after baseline. Dietary data were ascertained using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and combined with food-specific FRAP measurements from published tables; this information was aggregated across the diet to obtain "dietary FRAP scores.

Structural and functional brain connectivity in presymptomatic familial frontotemporal dementia.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether cognitive deficits and structural and functional connectivity changes can be detected before symptom onset in a large cohort of carriers of microtubule-associated protein tau and progranulin mutations.

Methods: In this case-control study, 75 healthy individuals (aged 20-70 years) with 50% risk for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) underwent DNA screening, neuropsychological assessment, and structural and functional MRI. We used voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics for voxelwise analyses of gray matter volume and diffusion tensor imaging measures.

The thyroid hormone receptor alpha locus and white matter lesions: a role for the clock gene REV-ERBα.

Background: Thyroid disorders are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Both small vessel disease and neurodegeneration have a role in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Thyroid hormone receptor alpha (TRα) is the predominant TR in brain.

[Beriberi after bariatric surgery].

Unlabelled: Bariatric surgery is in general the only effective treatment for morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery is frequently associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies which may lead to neurological and other symptoms. We describe a case of severe vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency.

Vascular risk factors, apolipoprotein E, and hippocampal decline on magnetic resonance imaging over a 10-year follow-up.

Background: Decline of hippocampal volume on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be considered as a surrogate biomarker of accumulating Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology. Previously, we showed in the prospective population-based Rotterdam Scan Study that a higher rate of decline of hippocampal volume on MRI precedes clinical AD or memory decline. We studied potential risk factors for decline of hippocampal volume.

The influence of cerebral small vessel disease on default mode network deactivation in mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is thought to contribute to cognitive dysfunction in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The underlying mechanisms, and more specifically, the effects of CSVD on brain functioning in MCI are incompletely understood. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of CSVD on brain functioning, activation and deactivation, in patients with MCI using task-related functional MRI (fMRI).

Automated brain structure segmentation based on atlas registration and appearance models.

Accurate automated brain structure segmentation methods facilitate the analysis of large-scale neuroimaging studies. This work describes a novel method for brain structure segmentation in magnetic resonance images that combines information about a structure's location and appearance. The spatial model is implemented by registering multiple atlas images to the target image and creating a spatial probability map.