Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Population based study on patients with traumatic brain injury suggests increased risk of dementia.
The relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the risk of dementia remains controversial. This population based study was designed to estimate and compare the risk of dementia in TBI and non-TBI individuals during the 5 year period after TBI. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest an increased risk of dementia among individuals with TBI. We suggest the need for more intensive medical monitoring and health education in individuals with TBI.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
APOE4 predicts amyloid-β in cortical brain biopsy but not idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
To investigate the association of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, especially the APOE4 allele, to (1) idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and (2) amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in cortical brain biopsies of presumed NPH patients with and without a final clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). ⋯ In presumed NPH patients, APOE4 associates independently with the presence of Aβ plaques in the frontal cortical biopsy. APOE4 is not a risk factor for iNPH and does not predict the response to shunt. Our data further support the view that the iNPH syndrome is a distinct dementing disease.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Is psycho-physical stress a risk factor for stroke? A case-control study.
Chronic stress is associated with cardiovascular diseases, but the link with stroke has not been well established. Stress is influenced by life-style habits, personality type and anxiety levels. We sought to evaluate psycho-physical stress as a risk factor for stroke, while assessing gender influences. ⋯ Compared with healthy age-matched individuals, stressful habits and type A behaviour are associated with high risk of stroke. This association is not modified by gender.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Logopenic aphasia in Alzheimer's disease: clinical variant or clinical feature?
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterised by progressive decline in components of the language system. Recent evidence suggests that the logopenic/phonological (LPA) variant is a reliable in vivo marker of Alzheimer related pathology. The aim of this study was to determine if patients with clinically typical early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) display a characteristic language disorder that resembles LPA, or if LPA is a clinical manifestation of an atypical form of AD. ⋯ The impairment found in clinically typical early stage AD did not correspond consistently to the linguistic profiles described in any of the sub-syndromes of PPA. The only reliably distinguishing feature was a reduction across a range of syntactic complexity measures. The findings suggest that LPA represents an atypical clinical presentation of AD rather than a common clinical feature of typical AD.