Search

The article presents an overview of the major clinical features of cognitive loss syndromes. Among the kinds of cognitive loss syndromes are Alzheimer's disease and lewy body syndromes. Cognitive loss disorders can be classified according to severity and neuropathology. Neurodegenerative syndromes refer to cognitive loss syndromes of later life characterized by slowly progressive clinical change and the accretion of abnormal proteinaceous material in intercellular spaces.

Abstract: Although initially developed as a brief dementia battery, the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has not yet demonstrated its sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive powers in detecting cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD). Therefore, the current study examined the clinical utility of the RBANS by comparing two age-, education-, and gender-matched groups: patients with AD (n =69) and comparators (n =69). Significant differences (p <0.001) were observed on the RBANS Total score, all 5 Indexes, and all 12 subtests, with patients performing worse than the comparison participants. An optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity on RBANS scores was obtained when cutoffs of one and one and a half standard deviations below the mean of the comparison sample were implemented. Areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves for all RBANS Indexes were impressive though Immediate and Delayed Memory Indexes were excellent (0.96 and 0.98, respectively). Results suggest that RBANS scores yield excellent estimates of diagnostic accuracy and that the RBANS is a useful screening tool in detection of cognitive deficits associated with AD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the association between depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It states that depression and depressive symptoms are common in individuals with AD. It is generally accepted that between 30%-50% of patients with AD experienced symptoms of depression during its course. Moreover, the aspects that gives a brief explanation of the possible connection between depression and AD are discussed.

The article discusses the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It presents a project that provides a brief overview of the literature linking cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia to AD. A discussion of a research that examines the relation between the factors and AD, as well as the potential role of inflammation in the link between the factors is mentioned.