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Evidence supports an association between vitamin deficiencies and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). If vitamin deficiencies are causative for AD development, they should be detectable during very early stages of AD. Here we investigated nutritional factors among home-living patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to AD, compared to healthy controls. Our study included 73 patients with AD (25 with MCI, 48 with dementia) and 63 cognitively intact age-matched controls. All participants underwent cognitive testing, somatic examination, and measurements of vitamins A, B1, B6, folate, B12, C, D, and E, and F2-α-isoprostane. Results are given as mean (SD). MMSE scores were 29.1 (1.0) for healthy controls, 27.4 (1.8) for patients with MCI, and 24.3 (3.2) for patients with dementia. Vitamin concentrations for the these groups, respectively, were as follows: B1 (nmol/l), 157 (29), 161 (35), and 161 (32); B6 (nmol/l), 57 (63), 71 (104), and 58 (44); folate (mmol/l), 23 (9), 26 (10), and 23 (11); B12 (pmol/l), 407 (159), 427 (116), and 397 (204); C (μmol/l), 63 (18), 61 (16), and 63 (29); A (μmol/l), 2.3 (0.6), 2.2 (0.5), and 2.3 (0.5); E (μmol/l), 36 (6.3), 36 (6.9), and 36 (8.2); 25-OH vitamin D (nmol/l), 65 (18), 61 (19), and 65 (20); and 8-iso-PGFα (pg/ml), 64 (27); 60 (19), and 66 (51). These concentrations did not significantly differ (p≤0.05) between the three groups. Our results do not support the hypothesis that vitamin deficiencies play a causative role in the development of early cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maintaining independence in activities of daily living, including when eating meals, may be challenging for persons with dementia. To uphold person-centred care there is a need for knowledge of how to facilitate mealtimes in such circumstances. Aims: To develop knowledge of how nurses promote independence at mealtimes for persons with severe dementia, and to explore their practice from a person-centred perspective. Methods: A collaborative action research project was conducted over two years in a Norwegian hospital for older persons with mental health challenges and severe dementia. The nurses conducted observations at mealtimes and presented narratives as a basis for group reflections, care planning and individualised adjustments. In the qualitative analysis, commonalities and differences in meal situations were explored and a constructed narrative was designed to identify the nurses’ actions and attitudes. Results: Person-centred practice and different levels of simplification in the planning and facilitation of meals for older persons with severe dementia seemed to help uphold their independence and dignity. This was achieved by careful observations during meals, when the nurses took the role of hostesses. Promoting independence for persons with severe dementia requires ongoing commitment, with practical reflection among the nurses and evaluation in everyday practice. Conclusions and implications for practice: • Facilitation of meals for older persons with severe dementia using a person-centred approach seems to increase the nurses’ attention to people’s independence and dignity • Sharing narratives from meal observations in reflective dialogues promotes the nurses’ competence in planning meals with different levels of simplification • Building in systematic attentive observations and sharing narratives in everyday practice may be an important step in practice development • Critical dialogue seems to strengthen awareness of person-centred facilitation of meals for persons with dementia, and also strengthened the staff’s interest in exploring practical issues in their practice [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing attention worldwide to young-onset dementia (YOD) and this group's special challenges and needs. The literature on psychosocial interventions for this population is scarce, and little is known about the specific challenges and benefits of working therapeutically with this group of patients. The aim of this study was to explore if a manual-based structured cognitive behavioral/cognitive rehabilitation program would be beneficial for these patients. One case, a 63-year-old woman with YOD, is presented to illustrate how this intervention can be applied to individual patients to manage depressive symptoms in YOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects twice as many women as men. Gender differences in symptom profile, living conditions, coping style and response might affect the outcome of psychosocial interventions (PSIs). Objectives:Our aim was to review gender differences in the available high-quality phase III trials on PSI in AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by considering the gender ratio in the investigated samples. Design:Randomized controlled trials published in 2000–2012 were stepwise analyzed by statistically testing the representativeness of the gender ratio and examining reported gender differences. Results:Forty-five studies (62% of 73 studies) reported gender ratios for each subsample and were included. In these studies, females were underrepresented in the control groups. In the 14 studies (19%) reporting analyses of gender differences, women were underrepresented in both intervention and control groups. However, in the six studies (8%) reporting significant gender differences in outcome, gender distribution was in accordance with prevalence rates. Conclusion:Current evidence is insufficient for reliable conclusions on gender differences in PSI outcome in AD and aMCI, as 81% of the available clinical trials either not reported the gender ratio of their samples, or underrepresent females. Further research is needed addressing gender differences, and clinical trials should routinely control for gender bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:This study explores the association between coping, measured by the extent of locus of control, and the burden of care on family carers of persons with dementia (PWD). Method:Two hundred thirty PWD living at home and their family carers were recruited from 20 Norwegian municipalities. The carers’ burden was assessed by the Relatives’ Stress Scale (RSS) and coping by the Locus of Control Behaviour Scale. The PWD were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q), the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS), the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale, and the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE). Results:Locus of control (LoC) was found to be the most important factor associated with the burden on carers of PWD, even when we had controlled for the PWD variables, such as the NPI-Q score. The LoC and the carer's use of hours per day to assist the PWD were the only two variables the carers found that affected the extent of the burden. The NPI-Q was the most important variable in the PWD that affected the burden on the carers. Conclusion:Carers who believe that what happens to them is the consequence of their own actions are likely to be less burdened than carers not expecting to have control. This finding gives a possibility to identify carers with a high risk of burden. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) affect the majority of patients who have dementia. Neuropsychiatric sub-syndromes with symptoms that occur together and have common neurobiological correlates have been identified. There are scarce data regarding the comparison of the pattern of the neuropsychiatric sub-syndromes in distinct ethnical and cultural populations. We aim at comparing the pattern of the NPS, and the factor analysis of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-10) in two samples of outpatients with dementia living in Brazil and Norway.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The sample consists of 168 Brazilian and 155 Norwegian demented patients from psychogeriatric facilities and community-based educational programs. Brazilian patients were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (63.7%), vascular dementia (15.5%), or mixed dementia (20.8%), whereas the diagnoses of Norwegian patients were Alzheimer's disease (97.4%) and mixed dementia (2.6%). Principal component analysis with the Varimax rotation was used for factor analysis of the NPI-10.Results: Apathy (80.4 %), agitation/aggression (45.8%), and aberrant motor behavior (45.8%) were the most common symptoms in the Brazilian sample. Apathy (72.3%), dysphoria (61.9%), and anxiety (52.3%) were the most frequent symptoms in the Norwegian sample. Factor analysis of the NPI-10 revealed three syndromes for the Brazilian (Psychosis, Mood, Psychomotor) and Norwegian (Psychosis, Mood, Frontal) groups.Conclusions: The frequency of individual NPS may differ among distinct populations. However, Psychosis and Depression are common sub-syndromes in diverse ethnical and cultural patients with dementia. Our findings support the syndromic approach for the clinical assessment of the patients with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective To compare the scores on the Relative Stress Scale (RSS) with those on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and to establish a cut-off score for RSS in order to distinguish carers with symptoms of psychiatric disorders from those without. Methods One hundred and ninety-four carers of 194 patients suffering from dementia according to ICD-10 were included in the study. Burden of care was assessed by the 15-items RSS, and psychiatric symptoms by means of the GHQ-30 and the 30-items GDS. A case score above 5 on GHQ and above 13 on GDS were used to define carers with probable psychiatric morbidity. Sensitivity (SS), specificity (SP), accuracy and likelihood ratio for a positive test (LR+) were calculated for different cut-points of the RSS. Results Fifty-six percent of the carers had a GHQ score above 5, and 22% had a GDS score above 13. A two-step cluster analysis using 192 of the 194 carers, identified three groups of carers; a low risk group for psychiatric morbidity (LRG), 82 carers with GHQ ≤ 5 and GDS ≤ 13; a medium risk group (MRG), 69 carers with GHQ > 5 and GDS ≤ 13; and a high-risk group (HRG), 40 carers with GHQ > 5 and GDS > 13. The optimal RSS cut-off to distinguish between the LRG and the others was > 23 (SS 0.72, SP 0.82, accuracy 0.76, LR + 4.0), whereas the optimal cut-off to separate the HRG from the others was >30 (SS 0.74, SP 0.87, accuracy 0.84, LR + 5.7). Conclusion The RSS is a useful instrument to stratify carers according to their risk of psychiatric morbidity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To identify carer and patient characteristics associated with various aspects of burden of care. Method The burden on 196 carers, each caring for one patient with dementia, was rated by means of the Relative Stress Scale (RSS). Patients were assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Results Factor analysis of the RSS resulted in three subgroups: ‘emotional distress’, ‘social distress’ and ‘negative feelings’. The total NPI score contributed to the explanation of the RSS total score and the three RSS subgroup scores with an explanatory power of 37% for total RSS, 34% for emotional distress, 27% for social distress and 20% for negative feelings. In multiple regression analysis, total NPI, DAD%, the carer being a wife and the hours spent caring per week, contributed to the explanation of total RSS with an explanatory power of 48%. Total NPI, the carer being a female and the hours spent caring, explained 38% of the variance in ‘emotional distress’. Total NPI, the DAD%-score, contact with the patient on a daily basis and the hours spent caring, explained ‘social distress’ (49%). ‘Negative feelings’ were associated with total NPI, younger patients and the carer being a wife (27%). Conclusions The RSS offers an opportunity to differentiate between different patterns of distress. This facilitates the creation of tailored intervention to reduce the strain of caring. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home-dwelling people with dementia rely on their family members to be able to stay at home. This affects the family caregivers' quality of life (QoL). However, less is known about how male and female caregivers differ in their QoL. Our study aimed to investigate gender differences in caregivers' quality of life (QoL), whether emotional relationships influence QoL, and how their QoL changes over time. The study applied a cross-sectional and a longitudinal design to examine a total of 208 caregivers, 158 female and 50 male caregivers, and their family member with dementia. Regression analysis and t-tests were performed to identify what characteristics about caregivers and care receivers influence male and female QoL, and whether caregivers' QoL developed after one year. Both male and female caregivers' depression influenced their QoL. For females, their own social distress influenced their QoL, and for males, their experience of their care receivers' overemotional attitude influenced their QoL. From baseline to one-year follow-up their QoL decreased while their distress and experience of care receivers' emotional attitudes was stable. Significant gender-specific differences were found, indicating that gender must be considered when approving caregivers' needs and planning interventions for caregivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

We conducted a search for rare, functional variants altering susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease that exploited knowledge of common variants associated with the same disease. We found that loss-of-function variants in ABCA7 confer risk of Alzheimer's disease in Icelanders (odds ratio (OR) = 2.12, P = 2.2 × 10(-13)) and discovered that the association replicated in study groups from Europe and the United States (combined OR = 2.03, P = 6.8 × 10(-15)).

The patients who are assessed at Oslo University Hospital's Memory Clinic are young--half of them are under 65 years of age. Most are suffering from mild cognitive impairment or dementia at a very early phase while others come to get a second opinion. The assessment takes 2 - 3 hours and is conducted by a doctor and a nurse. It includes a clinical investigation, cognitive testing, an MRI scan with measurement of the medial temporal lobes, a lumbar puncture and single-photon-emission tomography (SPECT of the brain).

Background: Naturalistic trials are needed to evaluate whether the results obtained in randomised trials of cholinesterase inhibitors (CEI) can be generalised to clinical practice. We conducted two studies in Norway to address this issue., Material and Methods: We included patients with dementia from 16 centres in Norway who had received treatment with a CEI until November 2001 (study 1, n = 1,167, retrospective case review) or who came to the first evaluation after onset of treatment (study 2; n = 252; prospective enrollment). Adverse events, global effectiveness, and Mini-Mental State Exam scores were recorded., Results: In study 1, 56% of the patients were rated as mildly or markedly improved two to four months after onset of treatment. Side effects were recorded in 23%; 8% discontinued treatment due to side effects. In study 2, 49% were rated as mildly or markedly improved on at least one of the items cognition, psychiatric symptoms, activities of daily living or behaviour. Treatment was discontinued due to lack of effectiveness in 12%., Interpretation: CEI were found to be useful in clinical practice in Norway. The open and uncontrolled design of the study limits the generalisability of the study.