Deficits In Specific Cognitive Domains Research Articles

Increased risk of cognitive impairment 3 months after mild to moderate first-ever stroke: a Community-Based Prospective Study of Nonaphasic English-Speaking Survivors.

Results of hospital-based studies indicate a high risk of cognitive impairment 3 months after stroke. There are no comprehensive data on this issue from prospective community-based studies comparing first-ever stroke patients with stroke-free subjects. We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to 99 community-based nonaphasic survivors of first-ever stroke at 3 months and 99 age- and sex-matched (1:1) stroke-free individuals. Domain-specific cognitive deficits were identified by blinded neuropsychological consensus. Stroke patients were more likely to suffer any cognitive impairment (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.1) attributable mainly to a greater risk of single-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.5 to 5.3) but not multiple-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.9). In this community-based study, a first-ever stroke of mild to moderate severity was associated with a significant risk of cognitive impairment at 3 months, even in the absence of clinical aphasia. This was due primarily to an increased risk of solitary deficits rather than generalized deficits.

The prevalence and clinical correlates of apathy and irritability in Alzheimer's disease

We examined the prevalence and correlates of apathy and irritability in a consecutive series of 101 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on clinical criteria, 46 (46%) patients had apathy, and 13 (13%) patients had irritability. Apathy was significantly associated with more severe impairments in activities of daily living, significantly more severe extrapyramidal signs, and a significantly higher frequency of both major depression and dysthymia. Patients with irritability had significantly more severe impairments in activities of daily living and significantly higher depression and anosognosia scores. On the other hand, neither apathy nor irritability were significantly associated with deficits in specific cognitive domains.

A single-photon emission computed tomographic study of anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease.

To examine the presence of specific regional cerebral blood flow correlates of anosognosia in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. Case series, group comparisons. Ambulatory care referral center. Twelve patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and anosognosia and 12 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease without anosognosia who were matched for age, duration of illness, and cognitive impairments. Single-photon emission computed tomographic scan studies with technetium Tc 99m hexamethylpropylene-amine oxime and regional cerebral blood flow measurements. Patients with Alzheimer's disease and anosognosia showed significant blood flow deficits in the frontal inferior and superior (dorsal) areas of the right hemisphere. On the other hand, no significant between-group differences were found in depression scores and neuropsychological tasks that assessed verbal and visual memory, verbal comprehension, naming, verbal fluency, auditory attention, abstract reasoning, and set-shifting abilities. Our study demonstrates that anosognosia may not be related to deficits in specific cognitive domains, but it may result from dysfunction of the right frontal lobe.

Quantified electroencephalographic correlates of neuropsychological deficits in Alzheimer's disease.

The authors examined relationships between quantified EEG (qEEG) variables and neuropsychological performance in 54 consecutive patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients were studied with qEEG and a neuropsychological battery that assessed memory, attention, verbal functions, set-shifting abilities, and procedural learning. More severe memory, attention, and verbal deficits were significantly correlated with lower alpha relative power, and increased theta relative power was significantly correlated with poor set-shifting abilities. No qEEG variables were significantly correlated with the procedural learning task. These correlations between deficits in specific cognitive domains and qEEG bands suggest that qEEG may have an important role in the investigation of the cognitive deficits in AD.