Cognitive ageing and dementia

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخۡتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِمَّا يَأۡكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ زُخۡرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتۡ وَظَنَّ أَهۡلُهَآ أَنَّهُمۡ قَٰدِرُونَ عَلَيۡهَآ أَتَىٰهَآ أَمۡرُنَا لَيۡلًا أَوۡ نَهَارࣰ ا فَجَعَلۡنَٰهَا حَصِيدࣰ ا كَأَن لَّمۡ تَغۡنَ بِٱلۡأَمۡسِۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمࣲ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

The life of this world is like this: rain that We send down from the sky is absorbed by the plants of the earth, from which humans and animals eat. But when the earth has taken on its finest appearance, and adorns itself, and its people think they have power over it, then the fate We commanded comes to it, by night or by day, and We reduce it to stubble, as if it had not flourished just the day before. This is the way We explain the revelations for those who reflect

أَوۡ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيۡتࣱ مِّن زُخۡرُفٍ أَوۡ تَرۡقَىٰ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَن نُّؤۡمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّىٰ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيۡنَا كِتَٰبࣰ ا نَّقۡرَؤُهُۥۗ قُلۡ سُبۡحَانَ رَبِّي هَلۡ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرࣰ ا رَّسُولࣰ ا

or have a house made of gold; or ascend into the sky- even then, we will not believe in your ascension until you send a real book down for us to read.’ Say, ‘Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a mortal, a messenger?’

وَزُخۡرُفࣰ اۚ وَإِن كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ

and golden ornaments. All of these are mere enjoyments of this life; your Lord reserves the next life for those who take heed of Him

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوࣰّ ا شَيَٰطِينَ ٱلۡإِنسِ وَٱلۡجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعۡضُهُمۡ إِلَىٰ بَعۡضࣲ زُخۡرُفَ ٱلۡقَوۡلِ غُرُورࣰ اۚ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُۖ فَذَرۡهُمۡ وَمَا يَفۡتَرُونَ

In the same way We assigned to each prophet an enemy, evil humans and evil jinn. They suggest alluring words to one another in order to deceive- if it had been your Lord’s will, [Prophet], they would not have done this: leave them to their inventions

Thus have We made for every prophet an enemy, satans of jinn and men. When someone's rank is higher, his trial will be more complete. When someone is nearer to the Real and his heart more limpid, his soul will be more captured by the hand of the enemy. Yes, without the grief of tribulation, the story of love cannot be told. Without the venom of trial, the honey of friendship cannot be found. Look at what Adam the Chosen, that sapling honored by the Real and nurtured by hallowing, saw from his enemy Iblis. God says, “Then Satan made them slip therefrom and brought them out from what they were in” [2:36]. And that other elder of the prophets and father of the world's folk, Noah-look at what he saw from his own people. For nine hundred and some years he invited them, and every day they beat him so much that he became unconscious, and they advised his own children to be his enemies. That par

The likeness the description of the life of this world is only as water rain which We send down from the heaven then the plants of the earth mingle with it they mingle because of it attaching themselves one to another whereof mankind eat plants such as wheat and barley and so on and cattle eat of pasture until when the earth has taken on its ornaments its splendour of plants and has adorned itself with flowers izzayyanat ‘adorned itself’ is originally tazayyanat but the tā’ has been substituted with the zāy and assimilated with it and its inhabitants think that they are masters of it fully capable of harvesting its fruits Our command Our decree or Our chastisement comes upon it by night or day and We make it that is its crops as reaped corn like that which has been reaped with sickles as though ka-an is softened in other words read it as ka-annahā the previous day it had not flourished a

or until you come to have a house adorned with gold or ascend into the heaven upon a ladder and even then we will not believe your ascension if you were to ascend into it until you bring down for us therefrom a book in which is confirmed your truthfulness that we may read’. Say to them ‘Glory be to my Lord — this is a statement of amazement — Am I anything but a human a messenger from God?’ in other words I am like all other messengers for they never brought any signs except by God’s leave.

And so We have appointed to every Prophet an enemy just as We have appointed these your enemies and this ‘adūwwan ‘an enemy’ is substituted by the following shayātīn ‘devils’ devils the rebels of mankind and jinn who inspire whisper fine speech to each other the falsehood that is disguised as such fine speech in delusion that is in order to delude them; yet had your Lord willed they would never have done it that mutual inspiration. So leave them let the disbelievers be with what they fabricate of disbelief and otherwise of what has been adorned for them — this was revealed before the command to fight them.

Verily, the parable of the life of the world is as the water which We send down from the sky; so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which men and cattle eat: until when the earth is clad in its adornments and is beautified, and its people think that they have all the powers of disposal over it, Our command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus do We explain the Ayat in detail for the people who reflect (24)Allah calls to the Abode of Peace (Paradise) and guides whom He wills to the straight path (25) The Parable of this Life Allah the Almighty has set an example of the similitude of the life of this world, its glitter and the swiftness of its passage, likening it to the plant and vegetation that Allah brings out from the earth. This plant grows from the water that comes down from the sky. T

And they say: "We shall not believe in you, until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us; (90)"Or you have a garden of date palms and grapes, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst abundantly; (91)"Or you cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as you have pretended, or you bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face; (92)"Or you have a house of Zukhruf, or you ascend up into the sky, and even then we will put no faith in your ascension until you bring down for us a Book that we would read." Say: "Glorified be my Lord! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger? (93) The Demand of Quraysh for a specific Sign, and the Rejection of that Ibn Jarir recorded from Muhammad bin Ishaq, "An old man from among the people of Egypt who came to us forty-odd years ago told me, from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn 'Abbas, that 'Utbah and Shaybah – the two sons of Rabi'ah, Abu

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ابْنِ بُحَيْنَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَامَ مِنِ اثْنَتَيْنِ مِنَ الظُّهْرِ لَمْ يَجْلِسْ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَلَمَّا قَضَى صَلاَتَهُ سَجَدَ سَجْدَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ‏.‏

Narrated `Abdullah bin Buhaina:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up after the second rak`a of the Zuhr prayer without sitting in between (the second and the third rak`at). When he finished the prayer he performed two prostrations (of Sahu) and then finished the prayer with Taslim

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى الظُّهْرَ خَمْسًا فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَزِيدَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ وَمَا ذَاكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ صَلَّيْتَ خَمْسًا‏.‏ فَسَجَدَ سَجْدَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ مَا سَلَّمَ‏.‏

Narrated' `Abdullah:Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) offered five rak`at in the Zuhr prayer, and somebody asked him whether there was some increase in the prayer. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "What is that?" He said, "You have offered five rak`at." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) performed two prostrations of Sahu after Taslim

أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا غَيْلاَنُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، عَنْ مُطَرِّفِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ صَلَّى عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَكَانَ يُكَبِّرُ فِي كُلِّ خَفْضٍ وَرَفْعٍ يُتِمُّ التَّكْبِيرَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ لَقَدْ ذَكَّرَنِي هَذَا صَلاَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏

It was narrated that Mutarrif bin 'Abdullah said:"Ali bin Abi Talib prayed, and he said the takbir every time he went down and came up, in all movements of the prayer. 'Imran bin Husain said: 'This reminds me of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

أَخْبَرَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الدَّوْرَقِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حُمَيْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يُحَدِّثُ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا قَامَ مِنَ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ كَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يُحَاذِيَ بِهِمَا مَنْكِبَيْهِ كَمَا صَنَعَ حِينَ افْتَتَحَ الصَّلاَةَ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Abu Humaid As-Sa'idi that:When the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up following two prostrations, he would say the takbir and raise his hands until they were level with his shoulders, as he had done at the beginning of the prayer

وبيان درجاته وبيان أقسام المخاوف وبيان فضيلة الخوف وبيان الأفضل من الخرف والرجاء وبيان دواء الخوف وبيان معنى سوء الخاتمة وبيان أحوال الخائفين من الأنبياء صلوات الله عليهم والصالحين رحمة الله عليهم ونسأل الله حسن التوفيق بيان حقيقة الخوف

فلا أحسن من هذه النصيحة وهذا الإرشاد والتعليم الذي لو أخذ به الناس لم يضع في الأكثر حق أحد ولم يتمكن المبطل من الجحود والنسيان

قالوا وكيف يظن بالشرع أنه يخفف عن هذا المتعمد المفرط العاصي لله ورسوله بترك الوجوب ويوجبه على المعذور بالنوم أو النسيان

| فصل قال : والذكر : هو التلخص من الغفلة والنسيان والفرق بين الغفلة

وصرح هؤلاء : أن التوكل والدعاء عبودية محضة لا فائدة لهما إلا ذلك ولو ترك العبد التوكل والدعاء ما فاته شيء مما قدر له ومن غلاتهم من يجعل الدعاء بعدم المؤاخذة على الخطإ والنسيان عديم الفائدة إذ هو مضمون الحصول

وأنشدني المنتصر بن بلال الأنصاري % الرفق ممن سيلقى اليمن صاحبه % والخرف منه يكون العنف والزلل % % والحزم أن يتأنى المرء فرصته % والكف عنها إذا ما أمكنت فشل % % والبر لله خير الأمر عاقبة % والله للبر عون ماله مثل % % خير البريه قولا خيرهم عملا % لا يصلح القول حتى يصلح العمل % $

The role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of cognitive impairement, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.: Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia pose a significant global health, social, and economic challenge. While Alzheimer's disease (AD) has historically been viewed as the leading cause of dementia, recent evidence reveals the considerable impact of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), which now accounts for nearly half of all dementia cases. The Mediterranean diet-characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil-has been widely reco

Sleep disorders increase the risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive decline: a meta-analysis.: Sleep disorders, particularly insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, are increasingly implicated as significant contributors to cognitive decline, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). However, the extent and specificity of these associations remain uncertain. This meta-analysis evaluates the impact of common sleep disorders on the risk of developing dementia and cognitive decline. A comprehensive search of

Modifiable predictors of dementia in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Objective: Public health campaigns encouraging early help seeking have increased rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis in Western countries, but we know little about how to treat or predict dementia outcomes in persons with the condition. Method: The authors searched electronic databases and references for longitudinal studies reporting potentially modifiable risk factors for incident dementia after MCI. Two authors independently evaluated study quality using a checklist. Meta-analy

Dietary Intake, Mediterranean and Nordic Diet Adherence in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Systematic Review.: Background/objectives: Dementia is not a single disease but an umbrella term that encompasses a range of symptoms, such as memory loss and cognitive impairments, which are severe enough to disrupt daily life. One of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a complex neurodegenerative condition influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent research has highlighted diet as a potential modifiable risk factor for AD. Decades of research have explored the role of

Technology-enhanced multi-domain at home continuum of care program with respect to usual care for people with cognitive impairment: the Ability-TelerehABILITation study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.: Background: According to the World Alzheimer Report (Prince, The Global Impact of Dementia: an Analysis of Prevalence, Incidence, Cost and Trends, 2015), 46.8 million people worldwide are nowadays living with dementia. And this number is estimated to approximate 131.5 million by 2050, with an increasing burden on society and families. The lack of medical treatments able to stop or slow down the course of the disease has moved the focus of interest toward the nonpharmacological approach and psych

Physical exercise attenuates cognitive decline and reduces behavioural problems in people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review.: Questions: What is the effect of physical exercise on cognitive decline and behavioural problems in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia? What is the effect of physical exercise on particular domains of cognitive function? How do training protocols and patients' characteristics influence the outcomes? Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. Participants: People with MCI or dementia as their primary diagnosis. Intervention: Physical exercise. Outcome m

Family caregivers' experiences of relinquishing the care of a person with dementia to a nursing home: insights from a meta-ethnographic study.

Many people with dementia are cared for in their homes by family caregivers. As the dementia progresses, admission of the family member to a nursing home becomes inevitable. The aim of this meta-ethnographic study was to describe caregivers' experiences of relinquishing the care of a family member with dementia to a nursing home. A systematic literature search of PubMed, Cinahl and PsychInfo, between the years 1992 and 2012, was performed, and 10 qualitative articles, based on 180 family caregivers' experiences, were included. The family caregivers' described their experiences as a process that went from being responsible for the decision, through living with the decision, adjusting to a new caring role and having changed relationships. They felt unprepared and lonely with these changes. They experienced loss, guilt and shame, but also feelings of relief. Their roles in the nursing home …

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Dimensions of caregiver burden in dementia: impact of demographic, mood, and care recipient variables.

Objective: While typically examined as a unitary construct, there is evidence that caregiver burden may be composed of several dimensions. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) in a sample of dementia caregivers and to explore the relationship between these factors and demographic, mood, and care recipient variables. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Academic medical center. Participants: 206 spousal or adult child caregivers for patients with mild to moderate dementia residing in the community. Measurements: Caregiver measures included the ZBI, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Burns Relationship Satisfaction Scale. Patient measures included scores on the Dementia Rating Scale, Lawton-Brody Activities of Daily Living scale, and Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist. Results: Factor analysis rev…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

2014 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures.

This report discusses the public health impact of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including incidence and prevalence, mortality rates, costs of care, and overall effect on caregivers and society. It also examines the impact of AD on women compared with men. An estimated 5.2 million Americans have AD. Approximately 200,000 people younger than 65 years with AD comprise the younger onset AD population; 5 million are age 65 years or older. By mid-century, fueled in large part by the baby boom generation, the number of people living with AD in the United States is projected to grow by about 9 million. Today, someone in the country develops AD every 67 seconds. By 2050, one new case of AD is expected to develop every 33 seconds, or nearly a million new cases per year, and the total estimated prevalence is expected to be 13.8 million. In 2010, official death certificates recorded 83,494 deaths from A…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Barriers to advance care planning in cancer, heart failure and dementia patients: a focus group study on general practitioners' views and experiences.

Background: The long-term and often lifelong relationship of general practitioners (GPs) with their patients is considered to make them the ideal initiators of advance care planning (ACP). However, in general the incidence of ACP discussions is low and ACP seems to occur more often for cancer patients than for those with dementia or heart failure. Objective: To identify the barriers, from GPs' perspective, to initiating ACP and to gain insight into any differences in barriers between the trajectories of patients with cancer, heart failure and dementia. Method: Five focus groups were held with GPs (n = 36) in Flanders, Belgium. The focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the method of constant comparative analysis. Results: THREE TYPES OF BARRIERS WERE DISTINGUISHED: barriers relating to the GP, to the patient and family and to the health care system. In cance…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

The role of religious coping and race in Alzheimer's disease caregiving.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias are one of the most critical public health problems in elderly population. Using baseline data from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II study, this study examined the relationship between religious coping, burden appraisal, depression, and race among 211 African American, 220 White, and 211 Hispanic caregivers, using structural equation modeling (SEM). Caregiver burden appraisal mediated the effect of religious coping on depression with higher religious coping resulting in lowering caregiver burden appraisal and thereby reducing depression. The results also showed that religious coping mediation model was best supported by African Americans. Greater understanding of religious coping and its role in the caregiving process helps researchers discover better ways to assist racially diverse caregivers in dealing with…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Distinct cognitive phenotypes in Alzheimer's disease in older people.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered to be a disorder predominantly affecting memory. It is increasingly recognized that the cognitive profile may be heterogeneous. We hypothesized that it would be possible to define distinct “cognitive phenotypes” in older people with AD. Methods: Participants from three individual studies were included, consisting of 109 patients with a diagnosis of probable AD, and 91 age- and gender-matched control participants. All had demographic and cognitive assessment data available, including the Cambridge Cognitive Examination of the Elderly (CAMCOG). The CAMCOG scores and sub-scores were further analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis and factor analysis. Results: Three clusters were identified. The scores loaded onto three factors representing the domains of attention, praxis, calculation, and perception; memory; and language comprehension…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory markers in Parkinson's disease--associations with depression, fatigue, and cognitive impairment.

Neuroinflammation may be involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) and specifically in non-motor symptoms such as depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to measure inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from PD patients and a reference group, and to investigate correlations between non-motor symptoms and inflammation. We quantified C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, eotaxin, interferon gamma-induced protein-10, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1-β in CSF samples from PD patients (N=87) and the reference group (N=33). Sixteen of the PD patients had a dementia diagnosis (PDD). We assessed symptoms of fatigue, depression, anxiety and cognitive function using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue, the Hospital Anxiety and D…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Social isolation and loneliness: relationships with cognitive function during 4 years of follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of social isolation and loneliness, individually and simultaneously, on cognitive function in older adults during a 4-year period, using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and to evaluate if these associations are moderated by educational level. Methods: Data on social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function (verbal fluency, immediate recall, and delayed recall) were obtained at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained 4 years later for 6034 participants (mean age at baseline=65.6 years). Regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Interactions between social isolation, loneliness, and educational level were also evaluated. Results: Baseline isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all c…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Unmet needs of community-residing persons with dementia and their informal caregivers: findings from the maximizing independence at home study.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates of unmet needs in a sample of community-residing persons with dementia (PWD) and their informal caregivers. Design: Analysis of cross-sectional, baseline participant characteristics before randomization in a care coordination intervention trial. Setting: Baltimore, Maryland. Participants: Community-residing PWD (n=254) and their informal caregivers (n=246). Measurements: In-home assessments of dementia-related needs based on the Johns Hopkins Dementia Care Needs Assessment. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, functional, and quality-of-life correlates of unmet needs. Results: The mean number of unmet needs was 7.7±4.8 in PWD and 4.6±2.3 in caregivers, with almost all PWD (99%) and caregivers (97%) having one or more unmet needs. Unmet needs in PWD were signif…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Diverging patterns of amyloid deposition and hypometabolism in clinical variants of probable Alzheimer's disease.

The factors driving clinical heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. This study assessed the relationship between amyloid deposition, glucose metabolism and clinical phenotype in Alzheimer's disease, and investigated how these relate to the involvement of functional networks. The study included 17 patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (age at onset <65 years), 12 patients with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia and 13 patients with posterior cortical atrophy [whole Alzheimer's disease group: age = 61.5 years (standard deviation 6.5 years), 55% male]. Thirty healthy control subjects [age = 70.8 (3.3) years, 47% male] were also included. Subjects underwent positron emission tomography with (11)C-labelled Pittsburgh compound B and (18)F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose. All patients met National Institute on Ageing-Alzheimer's Association criteria for pro…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Planning for tomorrow whilst living for today: the views of people with dementia and their families on advance care planning.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is increasingly prominent in many countries; however, the evidence base for its acceptability and effectiveness is limited especially in conditions where cognition is impaired, as in dementia. Method: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with people with mild to moderate dementia (n = 17) and family carers (n = 29) to investigate their views about planning for their future generally and ACP specifically. Results: People with dementia and their families make a number of plans for the future. Most people undertook practical, personal, financial, and legal planning. However participants did not make formal advance care plans with the exception of appointing someone to manage their financial affairs. Five barriers to undertaking ACP were identified: lack of knowledge and awareness, difficulty in finding the right time, a preference fo…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

A qualitative study: professionals' experiences of advance care planning in dementia and palliative care, 'a good idea in theory but ...'.

Background: Advance care planning comprises discussions about an individual's wishes for future care while they have capacity. Aim: To explore professionals' experiences on the implementation of advance care planning in two areas of clinical care, dementia and palliative care. Design: Qualitative study, focus groups and individual interviews. Setting: North East of England. Sample: Ninety-five participants from one Primary Care Trust, two acute National Health Service Hospital Trusts, one Ambulance Trust, one Local Authority and voluntary organisations and the legal sector. Results: Fourteen focus groups and 18 interviews were held with 95 participants. While professionals agreed that advance care planning was a good idea in theory, implementation in practice presented them with significant challenges. The majority expressed uncertainty over the general value of advance care planning, wh…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

The impact of dementia severity on caregiver burden in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Caregiver burden is greater in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) than in Alzheimer disease (AD). However, little is known of the impact of the 3 main clinical variants of FTD- behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), semantic dementia (SemDem), and progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA)-or the role of disease severity in caregiver burden. The Zarit Burden Inventory was used to measure caregiver burden of bvFTD (n=17), SemDem (n=20), PNFA (n=20), and AD (n=19) patients. Symptom duration, caregiver age, and relationship type were matched across groups. Moreover, a number of caregiver (mood, social network) and patient variables (functional disability, behavioral changes, relationship with caregiver, and dementia stage) were addressed to investigate their impact on caregiver burden. Caregivers of bvFTD patients reported the highest burden, whereas SemDem and PNFA caregivers reported bu…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Hospital transfers of nursing home residents with advanced dementia.

Objectives: To describe diagnoses and factors associated with hospital transfer in nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Twenty-two Boston, Massachusetts-area NHs. Participants: Three hundred twenty-three NH residents with advanced dementia. Measurements: Data were collected quarterly for up to 18 months. Data regarding transfers were collected with regard to hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visit, diagnosis, and duration of inpatient admission. Information on the occurrence of any acute medical event (pneumonia, febrile episode, or other acute illness) in the prior 90 days was obtained quarterly. Logistic regression conducted at the level of the acute medical event identified characteristics associated with hospital transfer. Results: The entire cohort experienced 74 hospitalizations and 60 ED visits. Suspected infecti…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Low-dose pterostilbene, but not resveratrol, is a potent neuromodulator in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Recent studies have implicated resveratrol and pterostilbene, a resveratrol derivative, in the protection against age-related diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanism for the favorable effects of resveratrol in the brain remains unclear and information about direct cross-comparisons between these analogs is rare. As such, the purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of diet-achievable supplementation of resveratrol to that of pterostilbene at improving functional deficits and AD pathology in the SAMP8 mouse, a model of accelerated aging that is increasingly being validated as a model of sporadic and age-related AD. Furthermore we sought to determine the mechanism of action responsible for functional improvements observed by studying cellular stress, inflammation, and pathology markers known to be altered in AD. Two months of pterostilbene diet but…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Aging and mental health in the decade ahead: what psychologists need to know.

Until relatively recently, most psychologists have had limited professional involvement with older adults. With the baby boomers starting to turn 65 years old in 2011, sheer numbers of older adults will continue to increase. About 1 in 5 older adults has a mental disorder, such as dementia. Their needs for mental and behavioral health services are not now adequately met, and the decade ahead will require an approximate doubling of the current level of psychologists' time with older adults. Public policy in the coming decade will face tensions between cost containment and facilitation of integrated models of care. Most older adults who access mental health services do so in primary care settings, where interdisciplinary, collaborative models of care have been found to be quite effective. To meet the needs of the aging population, psychologists need to increase awareness of competencies fo…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Functional connectivity tracks clinical deterioration in Alzheimer's disease.

While resting state functional connectivity has been shown to decrease in patients with mild and/or moderate Alzheimer's disease, it is not yet known how functional connectivity changes in patients as the disease progresses. Furthermore, it has been noted that the default mode network is not as homogenous as previously assumed and several fractionations of the network have been proposed. Here, we separately investigated the modulation of 3 default mode subnetworks, as identified with group independent component analysis, by comparing Alzheimer's disease patients to healthy controls and by assessing connectivity changes over time. Our results showed decreased connectivity at baseline in patients versus controls in the posterior default mode network, and increased connectivity in the anterior and ventral default mode networks. At follow-up, functional connectivity decreased across all defa…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Translational implications of inflammatory biomarkers and cytokine networks in psychoneuroimmunology.

Developments in psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) need to be translated into personalized medicine to achieve better clinical outcomes. One of the most critical steps in this translational process is to identify systemic biomarkers for better diagnosis and treatment. Applications of systems biology approaches in PNI would enable the insights into the correlations among various systems and different levels for the identification of the basic elements of the psychophysiological framework. Among the potential PNI biomarkers, inflammatory markers deserve special attention as they play a pivotal role linking various health conditions and disorders. The elucidation of inflammatory markers, cytokine networks, and immune-brain-behavior interactions may help establish PNI profiles for the identification of potential targets for personalized interventions in at risk populations. The understanding of the…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Predictors of caregiver burden in caregivers of individuals with dementia.

Aims: This article is a report on a study of the multidimensional predictors of caregiver burden in caregivers of individuals with dementia using nationally representative data. Background: Caregiver burden affects the health of both caregivers and their care-recipients. Although previous studies identified various predictors of caregiver burden, these predictors have not been confirmed in nationally representative population. Methods: Data for this secondary analysis was provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving, American Association of Retired Persons. The data were collected through a telephone survey of randomly selected adults in seven states in 2003 (weight adjusted n = 302). Descriptive statistics, inter-correlation analysis and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed. Results/findings: Disease-related factors were the most significant predictors, explain…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Loss of intranetwork and internetwork resting state functional connections with Alzheimer's disease progression.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Much is known concerning AD pathophysiology but our understanding of the disease at the systems level remains incomplete. Previous AD research has used resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) to assess the integrity of functional networks within the brain. Most studies have focused on the default-mode network (DMN), a primary locus of AD pathology. However, other brain regions are inevitably affected with disease progression. We studied rs-fcMRI in five functionally defined brain networks within a large cohort of human participants of either gender (n = 510) that ranged in AD severity from unaffected [clinical dementia rating (CDR) 0] to very mild (CDR 0.5) to mild (CDR 1). We observed loss of correlations within not only the DMN but other networks at CDR 0.5. Within the salience network (S…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Discrepancy between subjective and objective sleep disturbances in early- and moderate-stage Alzheimer disease.

Objective: Sleep disturbances such as nocturnal awakenings frequently occur in demented elderly persons and can contribute to depression, cognitive impairment, and caregiver burden. Recognizing sleep disturbances at an early stage of the disease progress is a first prerequisite of intervention and monitoring of progress. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of subjective sleep reports in early- and moderate-stage Alzheimer dementia (AD), by investigating whether they differ from matched healthy normal comparison groups with respect to the discrepancy of subjective and objective sleep estimates. Measurements: Subjective sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire, and the Athens Insomnia Scale. Objective sleep was estimated using actigraphy. Results: As compared with the normal comparison group (N = 26), AD patients (N = 55) co…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Caregiver burden associated with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Taiwanese elderly.

The purpose of this study was to investigate caregiver burden associated with BPSD in Taiwanese people. The study had a cross-sectional design. Eighty-eight patients with dementia and 88 caregivers who visited the memory clinic of a medical center from January 2007 to December 2007 were recruited. The BPSD were assessed using the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI); caregiver burden was evaluated using the NPI caregiver distress scale (NPI-D). Demographic data on the patients and caregivers along with patients' cognitive functions and clinical dementia ratings were collected. In addition to descriptive statistics, we analyzed the relationship between each parameter and caregiver burden using binary correlation. The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the total NPI-D score and the total NPI score (r=0.898, p<0.001). For individual BPSD, delusions had the h…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Pathologic evaluation of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei in dementia.

Background: The neuropeptide oxytocin, produced in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) of the hypothalamus, is now understood to function as a neurotransmitter critical for various aspects of social cognition and pro-social behaviour. While patients with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) display prominent and progressive deficits in such social behaviours, the integrity of these nuclei in FTD is not known. Methods: We conducted a quantitative neuropathologic examination of the SON and PVN from patients with FTLD with TDP-43 proteinopathy, Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease and controls to determine whether significant pathologic changes or neuronal loss may contribute to the striking behavioural symptoms of FTD. Results: Contrary to predictions, we found both nuclei to be free of significant pathologic change (TDP-43) in FTLD. In contrast, tau related pathology was foun…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)

Does cellular aging relate to patterns of allostasis? An examination of basal and stress reactive HPA axis activity and telomere length.

Long-term exposure to stress and its physiological mediators, in particular cortisol, may lead to impaired telomere maintenance. In this study, we examine if greater cortisol responses to an acute stressor and/or dysregulated patterns of daily cortisol secretion are associated with shorter telomere length. Twenty-three postmenopausal women comprising caregivers for dementia partners (n=14) and age- and BMI-matched non-caregivers provided home sampling of cortisol-saliva samples at waking, 30 min after waking, and bedtime, and a 12-hour overnight urine collection. They were also exposed to an acute laboratory stressor throughout which they provided saliva samples. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from a fasting blood sample and assayed for telomere length. As hypothesized, greater cortisol responses to the acute stressor were associated with shorter telomeres, as were high…

matched on Dementia (mesh)

Family stigma and caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose: The stigma experienced by the family members of an individual with a stigmatized illness is defined by 3 dimensions: caregiver stigma, lay public stigma, and structural stigma. Research in the area of mental illness suggests that caregivers' perception of stigma is associated with increased burden. However, the effect of stigma on caregiver burden among those caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has yet to undergo theoretical and empirical testing. The aim of this study was to examine whether family stigma is a predictor of caregiver burden in the case of Alzheimer's disease. Design and methods: Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 185 adult child caregivers (75% female; mean age = 53 years) for persons with Alzheimer's disease. Results: Caregiver stigma variables improved the prediction of caregiver burden by adding an additional 18% to the expl…

matched on Alzheimer Disease (mesh)