Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD
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Comparative Study
Optimal cutoff scores for dementia and mild cognitive impairment of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment among elderly and oldest-old Chinese population.
All versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) lack population-based data of 80-plus individuals. The norms and cut-off scores for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia of the MoCA are different among five Chinese versions. ⋯ Compared with the MMSE, the MoCA-P is significantly better for detecting MCI in the elderly, particularly in the oldest old population, and it also displays more effectiveness in detecting dementia.
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Recent studies have indicated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could improve cognitive function in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Yet the results are inconclusive. ⋯ This meta-analysis supports that high frequency rTMS stimulation on right- or bilateral-DLPFC has significant therapeutic effect on cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate AD. Due to small number of studies included, more well-controlled rTMS studies should be evaluated in AD patients in the future.
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a key determinant in this association. It is not clear whether T2DM increases the risk of conversion from MCI to dementia. ⋯ Insulin was not associated with significantly changed risk. T2DM-MCI may aggravate the clinical picture as a concomitant factor. To minimize progression to dementia, it may be worthwhile to target several modifiable diabetes-specific features, such as the duration of disease, glycemic control, and antidiabetic agents.
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Longitudinal MRI studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are one of the most reliable way to track brain changes along the course of the disease. ⋯ In AD, GM atrophy and WM tract damage are likely to progress, at least partially, independently. This study suggests that a multimodal imaging approach, which includes both T1-weighted and DT MR imaging, may provide additional markers to monitor disease progression.
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We have employed structural equation models to explicitly distinguish functional status, and therefore "dementia-relevant" variance in cognitive task performance (i.e., "δ"). We previously associated δ with cytokines and other serum biomarkers in a well characterized Alzheimer's disease cohort, the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. ⋯ Most of these associations are again specific to Non-Hispanic White participants. These findings have yet to be validated in other cohorts, but may suggest cross-ethnic differences in dementia's pathobiological mechanisms between Hispanic Mexican-Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites.