Comparison of cognitive performance between two rat models of vascular dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: An ideal animal model to explore that pathogenesis and prevention of dementia is essential. The present study was designed to compare the difference of behavior and cerebral blood flow of the two vascular dementia rat models at different time intervals. METHODS: The rats were randomly allocated to three groups: bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) group, thromboembolism (TE) group and sham-operated (SHAM) group. The performance in the Morris water maze (MWM) was analyzed at 7, 14 and 28 d after operation and cerebral blood flow (CBF) was analyzed at 28 days after operation. RESULT: The results showed that the two models exhibited longer latency, less times to crossing platform in MWM and lower CBF than the SHAM rats. Compared with the TE rats, the BCCAO rats have a significant prolongation of escape latency at 7 days and 28 days. In the probe trial, the BCCAO rats showed less number of times across the platform. CONCLUSION: The BCCAO rats maybe provide a more useful model to study the physiopathological mechanisms of cognitive impairment related to chronic cerebral ischemia.

Cognitive performance in asymptomatic patients with advanced carotid disease.

OBJECTIVE: : In the absence of stroke or transient ischemic attack, patients with advanced carotid stenosis or occlusion (ICAs/o) are considered asymptomatic, yet they are prone to mostly subtle cognitive impairment. BACKGROUND: : The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) often fails to detect mild cognitive impairment. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is more sensitive in recognizing such changes. METHODS: : Scores on the MoCA and MMSE were compared in 70 asymptomatic patients with ICAs/o and 70 controls matched for demographic variables and vascular risk factors. RESULTS: : MMSE scores fell mostly within the normal range in both patients and controls. Differences were significant for total MoCA scores (P<0.001). Patients with ICAs/o performed worse on visuospatial and executive function (P=0.018), abstraction (P<0.001), and delayed recall (P<0.001). Lower MoCA scores were associated with diabetes (odds ratio=6.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.277-32.220; P=0.024) and older age (odds ratio=0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.780-0.956; P=0.004). Patients with diabetes performed worse on delayed recall (P<0.001), and patients with hypertension were worse on the MoCA naming subtest (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: : The MoCA successfully identified reduced cognitive status in patients with ICAs/o. The MoCA subtest scores revealed a pattern of cognitive impairment similar to that documented in other studies using more extensive neuropsychological tests. MoCA could be used as part of the clinical evaluation of patients with ICAs/o.

[The elementary visual and psychovisual manifestations in cerebral circulatory insufficiency]. / Manifestari vizuale elementare si psiho-vizuale în insuficienta circulatorie cerebrala.

A correlation between cerebral vascular topography and visual ways topography was made. The carotid vascularization intricates with the vertebral basilar vascularization, because the pre-geniculate and post-geniculate optical ways have mainly a carotid irrigation, while the diencephalic intermedial nervous centers and the final cortical nervous centers have mainly a vertebral basilar vascularization. It is shown that there are some individual arterial anatomical variations, two of which having a remarkable importance. The former refers to the carotid origin of the posterior cerebral arteria, which makes that the totality of visual ways being irrigated by carotid circulatory system. The latter refers to the Willis atypical polygons, which determine important atipies in the topographical distribution of the chiasma's arteries and optical bandelets. By visual field's modifications are sampled the different types of cerebral circulatory insufficiency.