1
|
Mychajliw C, Holz H, Minuth N, Dawidowsky K, Eschweiler GW, Metzger FG, Wortha F. Performance Differences of a Touch-Based Serial Reaction Time Task in Healthy Older Participants and Older Participants With Cognitive Impairment on a Tablet: Experimental Study. JMIR Aging 2024; 7:e48265. [PMID: 38512340 PMCID: PMC10995790 DOI: 10.2196/48265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Digital neuropsychological tools for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases in the older population are becoming more relevant and widely adopted because of their diagnostic capabilities. In this context, explicit memory is mainly examined. The assessment of implicit memory occurs to a lesser extent. A common measure for this assessment is the serial reaction time task (SRTT). OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop and empirically test a digital tablet-based SRTT in older participants with cognitive impairment (CoI) and healthy control (HC) participants. On the basis of the parameters of response accuracy, reaction time, and learning curve, we measure implicit learning and compare the HC and CoI groups. METHODS A total of 45 individuals (n=27, 60% HCs and n=18, 40% participants with CoI-diagnosed by an interdisciplinary team) completed a tablet-based SRTT. They were presented with 4 blocks of stimuli in sequence and a fifth block that consisted of stimuli appearing in random order. Statistical and machine learning modeling approaches were used to investigate how healthy individuals and individuals with CoI differed in their task performance and implicit learning. RESULTS Linear mixed-effects models showed that individuals with CoI had significantly higher error rates (b=-3.64, SE 0.86; z=-4.25; P<.001); higher reaction times (F1,41=22.32; P<.001); and lower implicit learning, measured via the response increase between sequence blocks and the random block (β=-0.34; SE 0.12; t=-2.81; P=.007). Furthermore, machine learning models based on these findings were able to reliably and accurately predict whether an individual was in the HC or CoI group, with an average prediction accuracy of 77.13% (95% CI 74.67%-81.33%). CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that the HC and CoI groups differed substantially in their performance in the SRTT. This highlights the promising potential of implicit learning paradigms in the detection of CoI. The short testing paradigm based on these results is easy to use in clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Mychajliw
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- TuCAN, Tübingen Cognitive Assessment for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Holz
- TuCAN, Tübingen Cognitive Assessment for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Computer Science, Ludwigsburg University of Education, Ludwigsburg, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nathalie Minuth
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- TuCAN, Tübingen Cognitive Assessment for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kristina Dawidowsky
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- TuCAN, Tübingen Cognitive Assessment for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wilhelm Eschweiler
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Florian Gerhard Metzger
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Vitos Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Haina, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Vitos Haina gGmbH, Haina, Germany
| | - Franz Wortha
- TuCAN, Tübingen Cognitive Assessment for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Tübingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Early Mathematics Learning, School of Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Novikov NI, Brazhnik ES, Kitchigina VF. Pathological Correlates of Cognitive Decline in Parkinson's Disease: From Molecules to Neural Networks. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:1890-1904. [PMID: 38105206 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923110172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and appearance of protein aggregates (Lewy bodies) consisting predominantly of α-synuclein in neurons. PD is currently recognized as a multisystem disorder characterized by severe motor impairments and various non-motor symptoms. Cognitive decline is one of the most common and worrisome non-motor symptoms. Moderate cognitive impairments (CI) are diagnosed already at the early stages of PD, usually transform into dementia. The main types of CI in PD include executive dysfunction, attention and memory decline, visuospatial impairments, and verbal deficits. According to the published data, the following mechanisms play an essential role demonstrates a crucial importance in the decline of the motor and cognitive functions in PD: (1) changes in the conformational structure of transsynaptic proteins and protein aggregation in presynapses; (2) synaptic transmission impairment; (3) neuroinflammation (pathological activation of the neuroglia); (4) mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress; (5) metabolic disorders (hypometabolism of glucose, dysfunction of glycolipid metabolism; and (6) functional rearrangement of neuronal networks. These changes can lead to the death of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra and affect the functioning of other neurotransmitter systems, thus disturbing neuronal networks involved in the transmission of information related to the regulation of motor activity and cognitive functions. Identification of factors causing detrimental changes in PD and methods for their elimination will help in the development of new approaches to the therapy of PD. The goal of this review was to analyze pathological processes that take place in the brain and underlie the onset of cognitive disorders in PD, as well as to describe the impairments of cognitive functions in this disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai I Novikov
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia
| | - Elena S Brazhnik
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia
| | - Valentina F Kitchigina
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Martin E, Scotté-Barranoff C, Tallet J. What neurological diseases tell us about procedural perceptual-motor learning? A systematic review of the literature. Neurol Sci 2023:10.1007/s10072-023-06724-w. [PMID: 36973591 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-06724-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Procedural perceptual-motor learning of sequences (PPMLS) provides perceptual-motor skills in many activities of daily living. Based on behavioral and neuroimaging results, theoretical models of PPMLS postulate that the cortico-striatal loop, the cortico-cerebellar loop and the hippocampus are specifically involved in the early stage of PPMLS while the cortico-striatal loop would be specifically involved in the late stage of PPMLS. Hence, current models predict that the early stage of PPMLS should be impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD: lesion of the cortico-striatal loop), in cerebellar disease (CD: lesion of the cortico-cerebellar loop) and in Alzheimer's disease (AD: lesion of the hippocampus), whereas the late stage of PPMLS should be specifically impaired in PD. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is (1) to draw a complete picture of experimental results on PPMLS in PD, CD and AD (2) to understand heterogeneity of results as regard to participant and task characteristics. METHOD This review is based on the guideline proposed by the PRISMA statement. RESULTS Our review reveals (1) that the experimental results clarify the theoretical models and (2) that the impairment of PPMLS depends on both the personal characteristics of the participants and the characteristics of the task to-be-learnt rather than on the disease itself. CONCLUSION Our results highlight that these characteristics should be more carefully considered to understand the heterogeneity of results across studies on PPMLS and the effects of rehabilitation programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Martin
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France.
- Institut de Formation en Psychomotricité, Université Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| | | | - Jessica Tallet
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang Z, You Z. Impacts of motor phenotype on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson's disease 1 year after subthalamic-nucleus deep brain stimulation. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23:85-90. [PMID: 36641801 DOI: 10.1111/ggi.14524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder that affects both motor and cognitive functioning. This study aimed to examine the impact of motor phenotype on cognitive function 1 year after subthalamic-nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). METHODS The prospectively collected data of 37 patients with PD were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two group according to their motor phenotype: the postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) group comprised 16 patients, and the tremor-dominant (TD) group comprised 21 patients. The clinical characteristics and cognitive functions of all patients were examined at baseline and at the 1-year follow-up after STN-DBS. RESULTS The data showed that STN-DBS significantly improved motor functions (P < 0.05). A repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a considerable group × time interaction impact on the memory quotient score (P < 0.001) and Tmin (P = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS A distinct relationship between the neuropsychological spectrum and motor phenotype of PD patients was observed at the 1-year follow-up after STN-DBS, with worse cognitive outcomes in patients with the PIGD phenotype. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 85-90.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyang Wang
- Department of Neurology, Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou, China
| | - ZhiFei You
- Department of Neurology, Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Magnante AT, Ord AS, Holland JA, Sautter SW. Neurocognitive functioning of patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2022:1-12. [PMID: 35931087 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2106865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder commonly associated with motor deficits. However, cognitive impairment is also common in patients with PD. Cognitive concerns in PD may affect multiple domains of neurocognition and vary across different stages of the disease. Extant research has focused mainly on cognitive deficits in middle to late stages of PD, whereas few studies have examined the unique cognitive profiles of patients with early-stage PD. This study addressed this gap in the published literature and examined neurocognitive functioning and functional capacity of patients with de novo PD, focusing on the unique pattern of cognitive deficits specific to the early stage of the disease. Results indicated that the pattern of cognitive deficits in patients with PD (n = 55; mean age = 72.93) was significantly different from healthy controls (n = 59; mean age = 71.88). Specifically, tasks related to executive functioning, attention, and verbal memory demonstrated the most pronounced deficits in patients with early-stage PD. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Theresa Magnante
- College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - Anna Shirokova Ord
- College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - Jamie A Holland
- College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - Scott W Sautter
- College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
- Hampton Roads Neuropsychology Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
You Z, Wu YY, Wu R, Xu ZX, Wu X, Wang XP. Efforts of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on cognitive spectrum: From explicit to implicit changes in the patients with Parkinson's disease for 1 year. CNS Neurosci Ther 2020; 26:972-980. [PMID: 32436660 PMCID: PMC7415202 DOI: 10.1111/cns.13392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cognitive function of Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease PD postsubthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). METHODS Cognitive function was assessed by neuropsychological methods in PD patients. Twenty matched healthy persons served as normal controls. t test, analysis of variance, and chi-square analysis were used to compare the difference among the groups. Reliable change index was utilized to analyze the changes in cognition from the individual level. RESULTS (a) Improvement in motor function was significantly better after STN-DBS (P < .01). (b) Notably, the increase error rates of implicit SRTT (serial reaction time task) was significantly higher after STN-DBS as compared with the conservative therapy group (P = .03). (c) The decline of verbal fluency (explicit) was also significantly higher after STN-DBS than that in the medication therapy group (P = .03). (d) In the explicit clock-drawing test, scores had significantly improved after STN-DBS (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS STN-DBS as a neuromodulatory tool in the Chinese PD population not only improves motor symptoms but also cognitive function to a certain extent, such as the decline of executive function and verbal fluency. The explicit cognitive decline was significantly quicker than that in patients on medication therapy. The improvement of visiospatial function was also noted. Implicit memory impairment during the 1-year follow-up period was not observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- ZhiFei You
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Neurology, Shanghai TongRen Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi-Ying Wu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rong Wu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Xiang Xu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Changhai Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Ping Wang
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Neurology, Shanghai TongRen Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Han L, Xie YH, Wu R, Chen C, Zhang Y, Wang XP. Traditional Chinese medicine for modern treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Chin J Integr Med 2017; 23:635-640. [DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2537-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
|
8
|
Matheus FC, Rial D, Real JI, Lemos C, Ben J, Guaita GO, Pita IR, Sequeira AC, Pereira FC, Walz R, Takahashi RN, Bertoglio LJ, Da Cunha C, Cunha RA, Prediger RD. Decreased synaptic plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex underlies short-term memory deficits in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Behav Brain Res 2015; 301:43-54. [PMID: 26707254 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 12/05/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by motor dysfunction associated with dopaminergic degeneration in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS). However, motor symptoms in PD are often preceded by short-term memory deficits, which have been argued to involve deregulation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We now used a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat PD model to explore if alterations of synaptic plasticity in DLS and mPFC underlie short-term memory impairments in PD prodrome. The bilateral injection of 6-OHDA (20μg/hemisphere) in the DLS caused a marked loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (>80%) and decreased monoamine levels in the striatum and PFC, accompanied by motor deficits evaluated after 21 days in the open field and accelerated rotarod. A lower dose of 6-OHDA (10μg/hemisphere) only induced a partial degeneration (about 60%) of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with no gross motor impairments, thus mimicking an early premotor stage of PD. Notably, 6-OHDA (10μg)-lesioned rats displayed decreased monoamine levels in the PFC as well as short-term memory deficits evaluated in the novel object discrimination and in the modified Y-maze tasks; this was accompanied by a selective decrease in the amplitude of long-term potentiation in the mPFC, but not in DLS, without changes of synaptic transmission in either brain regions. These results indicate that the short-term memory dysfunction predating the motor alterations in the 6-OHDA model of PD is associated with selective changes of information processing in PFC circuits, typified by persistent changes of synaptic plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Filipe C Matheus
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88049-900, SC, Brazil
| | - Daniel Rial
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88049-900, SC, Brazil; CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana I Real
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cristina Lemos
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Juliana Ben
- Centro de Neurociências Aplicadas (CeNAp), Hospital Universitário (HU), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Gisele O Guaita
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, PR, Brazil
| | - Inês R Pita
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3005-504 Coimbra, Portugal; Departamento de Farmacologia e Terapêuticas Experimentais/IBILI, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana C Sequeira
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3005-504 Coimbra, Portugal; Departamento de Farmacologia e Terapêuticas Experimentais/IBILI, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Frederico C Pereira
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3005-504 Coimbra, Portugal; Departamento de Farmacologia e Terapêuticas Experimentais/IBILI, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Roger Walz
- Centro de Neurociências Aplicadas (CeNAp), Hospital Universitário (HU), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo N Takahashi
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88049-900, SC, Brazil
| | - Leandro J Bertoglio
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88049-900, SC, Brazil
| | - Cláudio Da Cunha
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 81531-980, PR, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A Cunha
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3005-504 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rui D Prediger
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88049-900, SC, Brazil; Centro de Neurociências Aplicadas (CeNAp), Hospital Universitário (HU), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Influence of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson's disease. Neurosci Bull 2013; 30:153-61. [PMID: 24338433 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-013-1389-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective technique for treating Parkinson's disease (PD) in the middle and advanced stages. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is the most common target for clinical treatment using DBS. While STN-DBS can significantly improve motor symptoms in PD patients, adverse cognitive effects have also been reported. The specific effects of STN-DBS on cognitive function and the related mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, it is imperative to identify the influence of STN-DBS on cognition and investigate the potential mechanisms to provide a clearer view of the various cognitive sequelae in PD patients. For this review, a literature search was performed using the following inclusion criteria: (1) at least 10 patients followed for a mean of at least 6 months after surgery since the year 2006; (2) pre- and postoperative cognitive data using at least one standardized neuropsychological scale; and (3) adequate reporting of study results using means and standard deviations. Of ∼170 clinical studies identified, 25 cohort studies (including 15 self-controlled studies, nine intergroup controlled studies, and one multi-center, randomized control experiment) and one meta-analysis were eligible for inclusion. The results suggest that the precise mechanism of the changes in cognitive function after STN-DBS remains obscure, but STN-DBS certainly has effects on cognition. In particular, a progressive decrease in verbal fluency after STN-DBS is consistently reported and although executive function is unchanged in the intermediate stage postoperatively, it tends to decline in the early and later stages. However, these changes do not affect the improvements in quality of life. STN-DBS seems to be safe with respect to cognitive effects in carefully-selected patients during a follow-up period from 6 months to 9 years.
Collapse
|
10
|
Arroyo-Anlló EM, Beauchamps M, Ingrand P, Neau JP, Gil R. Lexical Priming in Alzheimer's Disease and Aphasia. Eur Neurol 2013; 69:360-5. [DOI: 10.1159/000347223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 01/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lexical priming was examined in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in aphasic patients. Control participants were divided into young and elderly [cf. Arroyo-Anlló et al.: Eur J Cogn Psychol 2004;16:535-553]. For lexical priming, a word-stem completion task was used. Normal elderly participants had lexical priming scores that were significantly lower than those of young individuals. Analysis of covariance with age and educational level as covariates showed that the control participants, aphasic and Alzheimer patients did not differ significantly on the lexical priming task. Our results suggest that performance in the lexical priming task diminishes with physiological aging, but is not significantly affected by mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease or by fluent or non-fluent aphasia.
Collapse
|
11
|
Magen I, Fleming SM, Zhu C, Garcia EC, Cardiff KM, Dinh D, De La Rosa K, Sanchez M, Torres ER, Masliah E, Jentsch JD, Chesselet MF. Cognitive deficits in a mouse model of pre-manifest Parkinson's disease. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 35:870-82. [PMID: 22356593 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08012.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Early cognitive deficits are increasingly recognized in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and represent an unmet need for the treatment of PD. These early deficits have been difficult to model in mice, and their mechanisms are poorly understood. α-Synuclein is linked to both familial and sporadic forms of PD, and is believed to accumulate in brains of patients with PD before cell loss. Mice expressing human wild-type α-synuclein under the Thy1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn mice) exhibit broad overexpression of α-synuclein throughout the brain and dynamic alterations in dopamine release several months before striatal dopamine loss. We now show that these mice exhibit deficits in cholinergic systems involved in cognition, and cognitive deficits in domains affected in early PD. Together with an increase in extracellular dopamine and a decrease in cortical acetylcholine at 4-6 months of age, Thy1-aSyn mice made fewer spontaneous alternations in the Y-maze and showed deficits in tests of novel object recognition (NOR), object-place recognition, and operant reversal learning, as compared with age-matched wild-type littermates. These data indicate that cognitive impairments that resemble early PD manifestations are reproduced by α-synuclein overexpression in a murine genetic model of PD. With high power to detect drug effects, these anomalies provide a novel platform for testing improved treatments for these pervasive cognitive deficits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iddo Magen
- Department of Neurology, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bédard P, Sanes JN. Basal ganglia-dependent processes in recalling learned visual-motor adaptations. Exp Brain Res 2011; 209:385-93. [PMID: 21311878 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-011-2561-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2010] [Accepted: 01/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Humans learn and remember motor skills to permit adaptation to a changing environment. During adaptation, the brain develops new sensory-motor relationships that become stored in an internal model (IM) that may be retained for extended periods. How the brain learns new IMs and transforms them into long-term memory remains incompletely understood since prior work has mostly focused on the learning process. A current model suggests that basal ganglia, cerebellum, and their neocortical targets actively participate in forming new IMs but that a cerebellar cortical network would mediate automatization. However, a recent study (Marinelli et al. 2009) reported that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), who have basal ganglia dysfunction, had similar adaptation rates as controls but demonstrated no savings at recall tests (24 and 48 h). Here, we assessed whether a longer training session, a feature known to increase long-term retention of IM in healthy individuals, could allow PD patients to demonstrate savings. We recruited PD patients and age-matched healthy adults and used a visual-motor adaptation paradigm similar to the study by Marinelli et al. (2009), doubling the number of training trials and assessed recall after a short and a 24-h delay. We hypothesized that a longer training session would allow PD patients to develop an enhanced representation of the IM as demonstrated by savings at the recall tests. Our results showed that PD patients had similar adaptation rates as controls but did not demonstrate savings at both recall tests. We interpret these results as evidence that fronto-striatal networks have involvement in the early to late phase of motor memory formation, but not during initial learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Bédard
- Department of Neuroscience, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Box GL-N, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common nonmotor complication of Parkinson's disease (PD), and is associated with significant disability for patients and burden for caregivers. Similar to motor symptoms, the characteristics of CI in PD can be quite variable, both in terms of what cognitive domains are impaired, and the timing of onset and rate of progression. This review will examine the profile of cognitive domain impairments observed in PD, with a focus on early CI (without dementia). We will also discuss possible relationships between specific cognitive domain impairments in PD and pathological processes such as Lewy-related pathology and Alzheimer's disease. It is our hypothesis that the specific characteristics of CI observed in individual PD patients provide clues to the underlying pathological processes, and that understanding the biological basis of this clinical phenomenon will assist in directing disease-specific treatments. Given the high lifetime risk for CI in PD, it is imperative that we improve our understanding and treatments for this common and disabling problem in PD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Stennis Watson
- Mental Illness, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Division, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|