Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An Indoor Therapeutic Garden for Behavioral Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) affect 60-90% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). ⋯ The indoor TG seems safe and may reduce BPSD, medication intake, and cortisol levels in AD.
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Neurofilament light chain (NFL) as a potential biomarker of neurodegenerative diseases has been studied in a number of studies. Thus, a comprehensive meta-analysis is warranted to assess NFL performance in neurodegenerative diseases. ⋯ In our study, in addition to PD, NFL was suggested to be a global diagnostic biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, it could be used in differential diagnosis of PD and PD-related disorders. However, it was worth noting that NFL was not appropriate for diagnosis or differential diagnosis without clinical symptoms and other auxiliary examinations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Induced Hypoconnectivity Within the Default Mode Network Yields Cognitive Improvements in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Study.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is thought to be effective in alleviating cognitive symptoms in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), but the mechanisms related to network modification are poorly understood. ⋯ rTMS-induced hypoconnectivity within DMN is associated with clinical cognitive improvements in patients with aMCI. Further, pre-rTMS baseline activity of the DMN at rest may be a predictor for favorable rTMS treatment response.
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Cataract surgery substantially improves patient quality of life. Despite the rising prevalence of dementia in the US, little is known about use of cataract surgery among this group. ⋯ US Medicare patients with dementia are less likely to undergo cataract surgery than those without dementia. This finding has implications for quality of care and dementia progression. More information is necessary to understand why rates of cataract surgery are lower for these patients, and to identify conditions where benefits of surgery may outweigh risks.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related progressive form of dementia that features neuronal loss, intracellular tau, and extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) protein deposition. Neurodegeneration is accompanied by neuroinflammation mainly involving microglia, the resident innate immune cell population of the brain. During AD progression, microglia shift their phenotype, and it has been suggested that they express matricellular proteins such as secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) and Hevin protein, which facilitate the migration of other immune cells, such as blood-derived dendritic cells. ⋯ SPARC is highly expressed in AD brain and collocates to Aβ protein deposits, thus contributing actively to cerebral inflammation and subsequent tissue repair, and Hevin may be downregulated in the diseased state. However, further research is needed to reveal the exact roles of SPARC and Hevin proteins and associated signaling pathways in AD-related neuroinflammation. Nevertheless, normalizing SPARC/Hevin protein expression such as interdicting heightened SPARC protein expression may confer a novel therapeutic opportunity for modulating AD progression.