The Effect of Hearing Loss on Cognitive Function in Subjective Cognitive Decline.

INTRODUCTION: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a self-reported cognitive decline without objective cognitive impairment. The relationship between audiometric hearing loss (HL) and cognitive function has not been reported in SCD. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether HL affects cognition-related indexes in SCD individuals. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that used the baseline data of a multicenter cohort study that monitors clinical progression from SCD to dementia. Individuals aged ≥60 years who reported cognitive decline but had no objective cognitive impairment on comprehensive neuropsychological tests were recruited. Participants were grouped into the normal-hearing (NH) and bilateral HL groups. The demographics, clinical characteristics, dementia biomarkers, global cognition, questionnaire scores, neuropsychological test scores, and segmental brain volumes from MRI were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Of a total of 120 participants, one hundred and two had NH (n = 57) or bilateral HL (n = 45). There were no group differences in the demographic and clinical data except the age. The biomarkers, global cognition, and questionnaire scores were not different between the groups. The HL group performed worse (the z-score of -0.06) in the Stroop Color Word Test than the NH group (0.27) (p = 0.025). Brain volumetric analysis revealed that the HL group had reduced gray matter volumes in four brain subregions: left temporal pole, left caudal middle frontal gyrus, left hippocampus, and right isthmus of the cingulate gyrus. CONCLUSION: In SCD, HL exerted an adverse effect on cognitive function, primarily frontal executive function tested in the Stroop task. HL was also related to gray matter volume reductions in brain subregions, although causality needs further investigation. This study may provide evidence for a potential link between hearing and cognition in SCD, an emerging clinical entity.

Subtle Cognitive Deficits Are Associated with Amyloid-ß Positivity, but Not Severity of Self-Reported Decline: Results from the CoSCo Study.

INTRODUCTION: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) can be considered as the preclinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association criteria for preclinical AD proposed that subtle cognitive changes appear along with AD biomarkers in the late stage of preclinical AD. The objective of this study was to explore whether subtle cognitive impairment (SCI) in individuals with SCD is associated with brain amyloid-ß (Aß) status and SCD severity. METHODS: One hundred twenty individuals with SCD (mean age: 70.87 ± 6.10 years) were included in this study. SCI was defined as performance ≤ -1.0 SD on at least two neuropsychological tests. Participants underwent an amyloid positron emission tomography, which was assessed visually and quantitatively using standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). The severity of SCD was assessed using two self-reported questionnaires: the SCD questionnaire based on the SCD-plus features and the Korean-Everyday Cognition (K-ECog) scale. RESULTS: SCD individuals with SCI (n = 25) had more Aß positivity than the SCD only group (n = 95) (44% vs. 15.79%; p = 0.002). In addition, the SCI group had a higher global SUVR than the SCD only group (p = 0.048). For self-reported questionnaires, there were no differences in SCD questionnaire total scores and K-ECog global and cognitive domain-specific scores between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In SCD individuals, SCI was associated with higher Aß positivity, but not with the severity of self-reported cognitive decline, compared to the SCD only group. These results suggest that the recognition of objectively defined subtle cognitive deficits may contribute to the early identification of AD in SCD.

The Influence of Amyloid Burden on Cognitive Decline over 2 years in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a self-perceived cognitive worsening without objective cognitive impairment. Due to its heterogeneity and potential risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), baseline biomarkers to predict progression are clinically important. In the present study, cognitive trajectories during a 24-month period were compared between amyloid-positive SCD (A+SCD) and amyloid-negative SCD (A-SCD) subjects, and biomarkers associated with memory decline were investigated. METHODS: Data from a prospective cohort study in Korea between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed. SCD subjects ≥50 years of age were eligible. All participants underwent neuropsychological tests, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and florbetaben positron emission tomography scans. Amyloid burden and regional volumes were measured. Cognitive changes corrected for age were compared between A+SCD and A-SCD groups. Biomarkers associated with memory decline were assessed. RESULTS: Forty-seven SCD subjects (69.9 ± 6.7 years, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score 27.5) were enrolled, and 31 completed at least 1 annual follow-up (mean follow-up: 24.7 months). Baseline characteristics except age, hippocampal atrophy, and white matter hyperintensities were similar between A+SCDs (n = 12, 25.6%) and A-SCDs (n = 35). A+SCD subjects showed greater decline in the verbal memory function compared with the A-SCD subjects after adjustment for age. MMSE scores decreased more in the A+SCD (1.1 in the A+SCD; 0.55 in the A-SCD), although it was not statistically significant. Amyloid burden and baseline memory score were associated with memory decline. CONCLUSIONS: Within SCD, A+SCD subjects showed faster memory decline compared with the A-SCD subjects and amyloid burden might be associated with future memory decline in SCD.

Effects of Body Weight on the Safety of High-Dose Donepezil in Alzheimer's Disease: Post hoc Analysis of a Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label, Parallel Design, Three-Arm Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Donepezil 23 mg is considered for Alzheimer's disease (AD) to optimize cognitive benefits; however, increased adverse events (AEs) can negatively influence drug adherence. We investigated whether body weight (BW) differs based on the presence of AEs, and which baseline factors were relevant to the safety of high-dose donepezil. METHODS: This study was a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized trial between 2014 and 2016. We included patients with moderate to severe AD treated with 10 mg/day of donepezil, and the daily dose was escalated to 23 mg with/without dose titration. Dose titration indicates 15 mg/day of donepezil before escalation or 10 mg and 23 mg/day on alternate days before escalation during the first 4 weeks. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on occurrence of AEs of special interest (AESIs) to compare baseline characteristics. We also assessed relationships between BW and AESIs. RESULTS: Among the 160 participants in the safety population, the baseline BWs differed between the AESI (+) (n = 67) and AESI (-) (n = 93) groups. Baseline BW was inversely correlated with the occurrence of AESIs (p = 0.020), and this relationship was prominent in the no-dose titration group (p = 0.009) but absent in the dose-titration groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BW is the most important factor that correlated with cholinergic AEs. Hence, stepwise dose titration should be considered, particularly in patients with low BW, to minimize the inverse relationship between BW and the occurrence of AEs ("Clinicaltrials.gov" No. NCT02550665 registered on September 15, 2015).

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical effects of Souvenaid in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We conducted this meta-analysis about the effects of Souvenaid on cognition and functional abilities, with the hypothesis that Souvenaid may have beneficial effects in certain groups and the goal of finding the outcome measures, disease states, and so on, applicable for further clinical trials. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. Only double- blind randomized controlled trials were included. Outcome measurements were cognition, clinical global change, functional ability, and adverse events. The duration of treatment was not restricted, but trials performed in patients who did not have Alzheimer's disease (AD) were excluded. RESULTS: This review using meta-analyses of 4 clinical trials showed that Souvenaid had no significant effects on cognition as measured by ADAS-Cog (MD=0.08, 95% CI=-0.71-0.88) and the neuropsychological test battery total scores (MD=0.05, 95% CI=-0,02- 0.12), on global clinical function as measured by CDR-SB (MD=-0.21, 95% CI=-0.47-0.06), or on functional ability as measured by ADCS-ADL (MD=0.36, 95% CI=-0.54-1.25). There were no differences in any adverse events (OR=0.84, 95% CI=0.63-1.12) or in serious adverse events (OR=0.95, 95% CI=0.66-1.36). However, Souvenaid may benefit the domains of cognition that are affected by AD (attention, memory, and executive function), and it may have greater potential for benefits earlier rather than later in the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The results of current clinical trials do not suggest that Souvenaid has any beneficial effects on cognition, functional ability, or global clinical change. Further studies with outcome measures suitable in patients with early stages of AD will be needed.

Self- and informant-reported cognitive functioning and awareness in subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and very mild Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined self-reports and informant reports of cognitive function and discrepancies between the two reporting methods in healthy controls (HC), subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and very mild Alzheimer disease (AD) using three questionnaires. METHODS: The study included a total of 300 individuals (mean age: 74.4 ± 5.7 y), including 130 HC, 70 SCD, 51 MCI, and 49 very mild AD patients. Self-ratings and informant ratings of cognitive function were assessed using the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire-Cognition (KDSQ-C), AD8, and Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ). Awareness of cognitive functioning was measured on the basis of the discrepancy scores between self-reports and informant reports. RESULTS: Group comparisons on questionnaire scores adjusting for age, education, and depressive symptoms showed that self-reports were lowest in HC than other groups, with no differences between SCD and MCI groups. Informant reports were lower in SCD than in MCI, while discrepancy scores were higher in SCD than in MCI (P < .001 for KDSQ-C and SMCQ; P = .076 for AD8). There were no differences in self-reports, informant reports, and discrepancy scores between MCI and AD groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the usefulness of informant-reported cognitive functioning to classify MCI among elderly with subjective cognitive complaints. In addition, discrepancies between self-reports and informant reports demonstrate that overestimation and underestimation of cognitive function may serve as a clinical indicator of SCD and MCI across the cognitive continuum, respectively.

Coping with Dementia in the Middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Multiple neurological complications have been associated with the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. This is a narrative review to gather information on all aspects of COVID-19 in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. First, the following three mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the neurological complications associated with COVID-19: 1) direct invasion, 2) immune and inflammatory reaction, and 3) hypoxic brain damage by COVID-19. Next, because the elderly dementia patient population is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, we discussed risk factors and difficulties associated with cognitive disorders in this vulnerable population. We also reviewed the effects of the patient living environment in COVID-19 cases that required intensive care unit (ICU) care. Furthermore, we analyzed the impact of stringent social restrictions and COVID-19 pandemic-mediated policies on dementia patients and care providers. Finally, we provided the following strategies for working with elderly dementia patients: general preventive methods; dementia care at home and nursing facilities according to the activities of daily living and dementia characteristics; ICU care after COVID-19 infection; and public health care system and government response. We propose that longitudinal follow-up studies are needed to fully examine COVID-19 associated neurological complications, such as dementia, and the efficacy of telemedicine/telehealth care programs.

A Comparative Evaluation of the KDSQ-C, AD8, and SMCQ as a Cognitive Screening Test to Be Used in National Medical Check-ups in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Korea has a periodic general health check-up program that uses the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire-Cognition (KDSQ-C) as a cognitive dysfunction screening tool. The Alzheimer Disease 8 (AD8) and Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ) are also used in clinical practice. We compared the diagnostic ability of these screening questionnaires for cognitive impairment when completed by participants and their caregivers. Hence, we aimed to evaluate whether the SMCQ or AD8 is superior to the KDSQ-C and can be used as its replacement. METHODS: A total of 420 participants over 65 years and their informants were recruited from 11 hospitals for this study. The patients were grouped into normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia subgroups. The KDSQ-C, AD8, and SMCQ were completed separately by participants and their informants. RESULTS: A receiver operating characteristic analysis of questionnaire scores completed by participants showed that the areas under the curve (AUCs) for the KDSQ-C, AD8, and SMCQ for diagnosing dementia were 0.75, 0.8, and 0.73, respectively. Regarding informant-completed questionnaires, the AD8 (AUC of 0.93), KDSQ-C (AUC of 0.92), and SMCQ (AUC of 0.92) showed good discriminability for dementia, with no differences in discriminability between the questionnaires. CONCLUSION: When an informant-report is possible, we recommend that the KDSQ-C continues to be used in national medical check-ups as its discriminability for dementia is not different from that of the AD8 or SMCQ. Moreover, consistent data collection using the same questionnaire is important. When an informant is not available, either the KDSQ-C or AD8 may be used. However, in the cases of patient-reports, discriminability is lower than that for informant-completed questionnaires.

Prediction of cognitive impairment via deep learning trained with multi-center neuropsychological test data.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychological tests (NPTs) are important tools for informing diagnoses of cognitive impairment (CI). However, interpreting NPTs requires specialists and is thus time-consuming. To streamline the application of NPTs in clinical settings, we developed and evaluated the accuracy of a machine learning algorithm using multi-center NPT data. METHODS: Multi-center data were obtained from 14,926 formal neuropsychological assessments (Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery), which were classified into normal cognition (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). We trained a machine learning model with artificial neural network algorithm using TensorFlow (https://www.tensorflow.org) to distinguish cognitive state with the 46-variable data and measured prediction accuracies from 10 randomly selected datasets. The features of the NPT were listed in order of their contribution to the outcome using Recursive Feature Elimination. RESULTS: The ten times mean accuracies of identifying CI (MCI and ADD) achieved by 96.66 ± 0.52% of the balanced dataset and 97.23 ± 0.32% of the clinic-based dataset, and the accuracies for predicting cognitive states (NC, MCI or ADD) were 95.49 ± 0.53 and 96.34 ± 1.03%. The sensitivity to the detection CI and MCI in the balanced dataset were 96.0 and 96.0%, and the specificity were 96.8 and 97.4%, respectively. The 'time orientation' and '3-word recall' score of MMSE were highly ranked features in predicting CI and cognitive state. The twelve features reduced from 46 variable of NPTs with age and education had contributed to more than 90% accuracy in predicting cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: The machine learning algorithm for NPTs has suggested potential use as a reference in differentiating cognitive impairment in the clinical setting.

Safety and Efficacy of Anti-dementia Agents in the Extremely Elderly Patients with Dementia.

BACKGROUND: There are debates on representation and generalizability of previous randomized controlled trials about anti-dementia agents in the oldest old population. In this context, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of anti-dementia agents in the very elderly patients with dementia. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with dementia 1) who were 85 years or older, 2) got started anti-dementia agents, and 3) went through follow-up evaluation about one year thereafter. As a control, patients with dementia who were less than 85 years old with similar inclusion criteria were randomly selected during the same period. The adverse drug effects and discontinuation rates were investigated with self-reported complaint after starting or increasing anti-dementia drugs. For efficacy outcome, we also analyzed the change in neuropsychological results during follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 77 dementia patients who were at least 85 years were enrolled. As a control group, 78 patients with dementia who were younger than 85 was analyzed. The adverse drug effects were observed in 26 (33.3%) patients in the younger old and in 26 (33.8%) in the oldest old (P = 0.095). Twenty-one patients (26.9%) in the younger old group and 13 patients (16.9%) in the oldest old group discontinued their medication (P = 0.131). There were no differences between the two groups about changes of Mini-Mental State Examination and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living scores over time. CONCLUSION: The use of anti-dementia agents in the oldest old dementia patients may be safe and effective as the younger old dementia patients.

Characteristic differences in the mini-mental state examination used in Asian countries.

BACKGROUND: The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was adapted by individual countries according to their languages and cultures, though it has not been systematically compared. The objective of this study was to compare the linguistic and cultural variations of the MMSE used in various Asian countries. With this, we can analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the MMSE and consider using a common version in future international clinical studies in Asia. METHODS: We collected the MMSEs used in 11 Asian nations. After translating those into English, we compared them to understand the differences in the questionnaires with regard to cultural aspects. RESULTS: Many items may be applicable or comparable with a little modification, for Asian countries. However, attention and calculation and repetition may be incomparable. There were some differences in the contents and the ways to administer. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of consideration of the cultural differences and their influences on the interpretation of the same cognitive test makes cross-cultural studies difficult. Some items of MMSE tasks need readjusting for, if any, multi-national studies. This study might serve as a first step in the development of a standardized cross-cultural cognitive instrument, especially in Asia.

Anosognosia and Its Relation to Psychiatric Symptoms in Early-Onset Alzheimer Disease.

BACKGROUND: We investigated differences in the prevalence of anosognosia and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) characteristics according to disease severity in patients with early-onset Alzheimer disease (EOAD). METHODS: We recruited 616 patients with EOAD. We subdivided participants into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of anosognosia and then again by Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. We compared the differences in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) scores according to anosognosia and disease severity. RESULTS: The percentage of patients with anosognosia in each CDR group steadily increased as the CDR rating increased (CDR 0.5 8.6% vs CDR 1 13.6% vs CDR 2 26.2%). The NPI total score was significantly higher in patients with anosognosia in the CDR 0.5 and 1 groups; by contrast, it had no association in the CDR 2 group. Frontal lobe functions were associated with anosognosia only in the CDR 0.5 and 1 groups. After stratification by CDR, in the CDR 0.5 group, the prevalence of agitation ( P = .040) and appetite ( P = .013) was significantly higher in patients with anosognosia. In the CDR 1 group, patients with anosognosia had a significantly higher prevalence of delusions ( P = .032), hallucinations ( P = .048), and sleep disturbances ( P = .047). In the CDR 2 group, we found no statistical difference in the frequency of symptoms between patients with and without anosognosia. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that the prevalence of anosognosia as well as the individual NPS and cognitive functions associated with it differ according to EOAD severity.

Hippocampal and entorhinal structures in subjective memory impairment: a combined MRI volumetric and DTI study.

BACKGROUND: Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is common among older adults. Increasing evidence suggests that SMI is a risk factor for future cognitive decline, as well as for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Medial temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, are affected in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The current study examined the gray matter (GM) volume and microstructural changes of hippocampal and entorhinal regions in individuals with SMI, compared with elderly control participants without memory complaints. METHODS: A total of 45 participants (mean age: 70.31 ± 6.07 years) took part in the study, including 18 participants with SMI and 27 elderly controls without memory complaints. We compared the GM volume and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures in the hippocampal and entorhinal regions between SMI and control groups. RESULTS: Individuals with SMI had lower entorhinal cortical volumes than control participants, but no differences in hippocampal volume were found between groups. In addition, SMI patients exhibited DTI changes (lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean diffusivity in SMI) in the hippocampal body and entorhinal white matter compared with controls. Combining entorhinal cortical volume and FA in the hippocampal body improved the accuracy of classification between SMI and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the entorhinal region exhibits macrostructural as well as microstructural changes in individuals with SMI, whereas the hippocampus exhibits only microstructural alterations.

Arterial stiffness and impaired renal function in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Impaired renal function is regarded as a risk factor for vascular disease, and is associated with an increasing pulse wave velocity. Both renal dysfunction and arterial stiffness are associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. However, there have been few studies that have evaluated the relationship between albuminuria and arterial stiffness and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated renal dysfunction and arterial stiffness in AD, as compared to normal controls, patients with subjective memory impairment (SMI), and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Case-control comparisons were made between 29 patients with AD, 27 with MCI, 14 with SMI, and 25 healthy controls. All patients underwent clinical and neuropsychological assessments. The urine albumin/creatinine ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were determined. Pulse wave velocity and the ankle-brachial index were used to evaluate arterial stiffness. The urine albumin/creatinine ratio and eGFR were significantly different in patients with AD, compared with the results from cognitive normal controls. The pulse wave velocity was increased and the ankle-brachial index was decreased in AD. The eGFR was well correlated with other indices and decreasing eGFR was independently associated with cognitive decline. In conclusion, albuminuria, a decreased glomerular filtration rate, an increased pulse wave velocity, and a decreased ankle-brachial index were associated with AD. These finding suggests that impaired renal functions and arterial stiffness are related to AD, in which a vascular mechanism plays a prominent role in the cognitive dysfunction associated with the disease.

Pathological correlates of white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated the histopathological correlates of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or cerebrovascular disease, and in aged controls. METHODS: We reviewed 57 participants who had neuropathology and in whom neuroimaging was done. In addition to AD pathology, cortical microinfarcts, lacunes, and cerebral hemorrhages were assessed. Small-vessel disease included arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Postmortem brain tissue corresponding to regions of WMHs was investigated in 14 participants. The variables included: demyelination of the deep and periventricular white matter (WM), atrophy of the ventricular ependyma, and thickness of blood vessels. Partial Spearman's rank test and linear regression analysis, adjusted for age at the clinical evaluation and the duration to death, were performed. RESULTS: The severity of arteriosclerosis was correlated with the volume of periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) estimated by magnetic resonance imaging. Deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) volume was correlated with the presence of cortical microinfarcts and cerebral hemorrhages. The severity of the breakdown of the ventricular lining was correlated with PVHs, and DWMHs correlated with the severity of deep WM demyelination. The diameter of small blood vessels was not associated with WMHs. CONCLUSION: WMHs are consistent with small-vessel disease and increase the tissue water content. We found no association between WMHs and the thickness of small blood vessels.

Predictors of Clinical Progression of Subjective Memory Impairment in Elderly Subjects: Data from the Clinical Research Centers for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS).

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aims of this study were to determine baseline factors related to the progression of subjective memory impairment (SMI) in elderly subjects and to develop a new modeling scale to predict progression. METHODS: Elderly subjects with SMI were recruited from the nationwide Clinical Research Centers for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS) multicenter cohort and divided into two groups: (1) progressed to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease or (2) stable without progression. Baseline clinical characteristics were compared between the groups, and the most relevant predictors of progression were assessed. A new modeling scale combining the predictors was developed. RESULTS: In total, 129 subjects with SMI were analyzed. The follow-up duration was 0.5-4.7 years, and the median time to event was 3.64 years. The progressing group (n = 29) differed from the stable group (n = 100) in terms of baseline age, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) status, and some cognitive domains. Older age, a lower Mini-Mental State Examination recall score, APOE4 carrier, and a lower verbal delayed recall score were the most relevant predictors of progression, and a new modeling scale with these 4 predictors provided a better explanation of progression. CONCLUSION: SMI subjects with a higher risk of progression can be identified using a new modeling scale and might need further evaluations and more frequent follow-up.

Subtype of mild cognitive impairment in elderly patients with essential tremor.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several studies have demonstrated that patients with essential tremor (ET) may also have mild cognitive impairments (MCIs), and cross-sectional and population-based studies have shown that ET is associated with prevalent dementia. Different presentations of MCI are suggested to be associated with different pathologies. For example, amnestic MCI may be associated with Alzheimer disease. Therefore, in this study, we explored whether the MCI subtype in patients with ET (MCI-ET+) is different from the MCI subtype in patients without ET attending a memory outpatient clinic (MCI-ET-). METHODS: Using a case-control study design, cognitive status in MCI patients with ET and without ET was assessed by neuropsychological testing. Patients with MCI were stratified into groups: amnestic and nonamnestic MCI, or single-domain and multidomain MCI. RESULTS: Of the 93 patients in the ET+ group and the 169 in the ET- group, 45 (48.4%) and 94 (55.6%) patients had MCI, respectively. The frequency of MCI subtypes between the 2 groups was different, such that 25 (55.6%) patients had nonamnestic MCI in the ET+ group and 68 (72.3%) patients had amnestic MCI in ET- group (χ=10.195, P=0.001). Compared with the MCI-ET+ group, patients in the MCI-ET- group showed more severe impairments in verbal and visuospatial memory functions. CONCLUSIONS: ET is associated with MCI, particularly the nonamnestic subtype. These results suggest that cognitive change in patients with ET may have a different pathogenesis from that of Alzheimer disease.

Gray and White Matter Degenerations in Subjective Memory Impairment: Comparisons with Normal Controls and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is now increasingly recognized as a risk factor of progression to dementia. This study investigated gray and white matter changes in the brains of SMI patients compared with normal controls and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. We recruited 28 normal controls, 28 subjects with SMI, and 29 patients with MCI aged 60 or older. We analyzed gray and white matter changes using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM), hippocampal volumetry and regions of interest in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI parameters of corpus callosum and cingulum in SMI showed more white matter changes compared with those in normal controls, they were similar to those in MCI except in the hippocampus, which showed more degenerations in MCI. In VBM, SMI showed atrophy in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes compared with normal controls although it was not as extensive as that in MCI. Patients with SMI showed gray and white matter degenerations, the changes were distinct in white matter structures. SMI might be the first presenting symptom within the Alzheimer's disease continuum when combined with additional risk factors and neurodegenerative changes.

Cognitive correlates of cerebral vasoreactivity on transcranial Doppler in older adults.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to explore the possible contributions of cerebral hemodynamic changes to the cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: A total of 194 participants were included: 52 controls, 75 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 67 patients with AD. Demographic characteristics, vascular risks, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and clinical dementia rating (CDR) were assessed, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed to evaluate white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). Using transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography, cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) was evaluated with a breath-holding test, in addition to the mean blood flow velocity (MFV), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI) of the middle cerebral artery. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates such as age, education, WMH severity, and vascular risks, TCD parameters such as MFV, PI, and RI did not differ between the 3 groups. However, CVR was significantly reduced in the AD group (45.33 ± 11.49%), compared with the other groups (56.36 ± 14.65%, controls; 53.84 ± 15.47%, MCI group; P < .001). Multiple regression analyses also showed that CVR was associated with MMSE scores. CVR differed according to the CDR scores (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our finding may be suggestive of an underlying microangiopathic mechanism in AD patients. Furthermore, there was an association between the impaired function of cerebral microvessels and cognitive impairment. Further research is needed to fully establish whether altered cerebral hemodynamics may be considered an independent factor in predicting cognitive decline or an effect of pathologic processes involved in AD.