Neurology
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Biomarker levels in blood after traumatic brain injury (TBI) may offer diagnostic and prognostic tools in addition to clinical indices. This study aims to validate glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100B concentrations in blood as outcome predictors of TBI using cutoff levels of 1.5 μg/L for GFAP and 1.13 μg/L for S100B from a previous study. ⋯ This study confirms that GFAP and S100B levels in serum are adjuncts to the assessment of brain damage after TBI and may enhance prognostication when combined with clinical variables.
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Comparative Study
Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve.
There is strong epidemiologic evidence to suggest that older adults who maintain an active lifestyle in terms of social, mental, and physical engagement are protected to some degree against the onset of dementia. Such factors are said to contribute to cognitive reserve, which acts to compensate for the accumulation of amyloid and other brain pathologies. We present evidence that lifelong bilingualism is a further factor contributing to cognitive reserve. ⋯ The present data confirm results from an earlier study, and thus we conclude that lifelong bilingualism confers protection against the onset of AD. The effect does not appear to be attributable to such possible confounding factors as education, occupational status, or immigration. Bilingualism thus appears to contribute to cognitive reserve, which acts to compensate for the effects of accumulated neuropathology.