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H Basun

Publications and source records attributed to H Basun.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Patterns of neuropsychological performance in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

The hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) may be associated with specific patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction was tested by assessing sensory-motor performance, attention, memory, visuospatial functions, verbal ability, and intelligence in AD (N = 83) and VD (N = 42) patients stratified into four levels of severity based on the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results showed a progressive deterioration due to severity of dementia in both AD and VD patients in all cognitive tasks, but not in the sensory-motor tasks, and no significant interaction between type and severity of dementia in any measure, indicating a similar pattern and course of neuropsychological deterioration in AD and VD. Yet it was possible to differentiate the two groups with moderate success using tests drawing predominantly on motor speed and, to a lesser extent, on cognitive speed. In all these speeded tests, the AD patients outperformed the VD patients.

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PubMed1992

White-matter hyperintensity and neuropsychological functions in dementia and healthy aging.

The relationship between quantitative measurements of brain white-matter hyperintensity (WMH), assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological functions, was explored in demented patients and healthy aged individuals with and without WMH in 12 brain regions. The prevalence of WMH was significantly higher in vascular dementia compared with Alzheimer's disease, especially in posterior periventricular regions. Results showed no difference in any neuropsychological measurement between healthy aged adults with and without WMH. The demented patients with WMH were more impaired in tests of visuoconstruction, attention, finger-motor speed, and latency of tactile identification of objects compared with patients without WMH. These impairments were related mainly to posterior periventricular WMH. There was no relationship between WMH and global cognitive functioning in the demented patients. The degree of WMH was related to age and blood pressure. The data suggest that specific regional WMH may result in specific neuropsychological impairments.

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PubMed1991

Metals and trace elements in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) and blood levels of aluminium, cadmium, calcium, copper, lead, magnesium, and mercury were studied in 24 subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and in 28 healthy volunteers. Furthermore, arsenic, bromine, chrome, iron, manganese, nickel, rubidium, selenium, strontium, and zinc were measured only in blood. There were significant changes in the DAT group when compared to the controls. The plasma levels of aluminium, cadmium, mercury and selenium were increased and the contents of iron and manganese were lower in the DAT group as compared to control subjects. In CSF there were low levels of cadmium and calcium and increased content of copper in DAT cases. Iron and zinc levels in blood and calcium in both blood and CSF of DAT patients correlated with memory and cognitive functions. Iron, manganese and strontium levels of DAT sufferers in blood and aluminium in CSF were related with changes in behaviour.

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PubMed1990

Amino acid concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in Alzheimer's disease and healthy control subjects.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma levels of 18 amino acids were studied in 22 subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and in 11 healthy volunteers with no clinical or family history of dementia. Significant decreases of plasma taurine and glutamate were seen in the DAT cases compared with the controls. The CSF concentrations of glycine, leucine and valine were also significantly reduced in the DAT cases. Furthermore, in the DAT cases significant decreases were observed in the ratio between CSF and plasma (CSF/P) levels for alanine, glutamine, glycine, phenylalanine and valine, when compared with controls. In the DAT group there were significant correlations between behaviour and CSF glutamine; memory and cognitive functions and CSF valine; copying ability and CSF glutamate. CSF/P ratios of glutamine and glutamate correlated with behaviour and copying performances, respectively. The results of this study provide further evidence for a disruption of amino acid metabolism in DAT.

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PubMed1990

The brain in healthy aged individuals: MR imaging.

Twenty-four healthy aged individuals with above-average intellectual function were studied with use of a low-field-strength (0.02-T) magnetic resonance (MR) imager. The group was carefully selected so as not to include persons with signs of arteriosclerotic diseases, major somatic disease, or a history of brain disease or dementia in the family. The width of the subarachnoid spaces and lateral ventricles, as well as the frequency and degree of brain white-matter lesions, were described with the use of a visual rating scale. White matter lesions were found in less than 9% of the subjects. The lateral brain ventricles were enlarged in 8% of all individuals and the cortical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces in more than 40% of all individuals. Moreover, T1 and T2 were estimated in different brain areas, and a positive correlation between T1 in the frontal white matter and age was found. A computer-assisted classification procedure was used to estimate brain tissue and CSF areas. The results of this procedure strongly correlated with the visually estimated ventricular size.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Apolipoprotein E and alpha1-antichymotrypsin genotypes and age of onset of familial Alzheimer's disease.

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and alpha1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) genotype and allele frequency distribution were investigated in 113 familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases. A significantly higher sigma4 frequency was observed in patients with an age of onset between 55-64 and 65-74 years compared to individuals with later or earlier onset. No difference in ACT A allele frequency was seen in any onset group, nor was any influence of ACT genotypes on the age of onset observed. However, the mean age of onset was lowered by the presence of the ACT/AA and ACT/TT genotypes among APOE sigma3/3 bearers. Possible APOE effects on age of onset were evaluated in 78 affected sib pairs. An earlier age of onset was observed in siblings with an sigma4 allele compared to siblings without an sigma4 allele. This supports the notion that the sigma4 allele promotes an earlier age of onset. However, in siblings with the same APOE genotype, a wide range of onset was seen, indicating that unknown genetic or environmental factors affect the expression of AD.

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PubMedDate not supplied

A follow-up study of the family with the Swedish APP 670/671 Alzheimer's disease mutation.

OBJECTIVE: To study the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) at a very early stage and to evaluate clinical markers of presymptomatic AD. SETTING: Longitudinal study at a university hospital. SUBJECTS: A Swedish family harboring a double mutation at codons 670/671 of the APP gene on chromosome 21 was followed longitudinally for 3 years. Both mutation carriers and noncarriers participated. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Results from clinical investigations, electroencephalography, neuropsychological and neuroradiological examinations including magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography were assessed and compared on two or more occasions. MAIN OUTCOME: During follow-up, 1 initially asymptomatic mutation carrier who was near the expected age of onset for this family, developed cognitive symptoms, and at the end of the follow-up fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AD. One mutation carrier with cognitive symptoms at the first examination showed clinical deterioration and was diagnosed with AD. One demented mutation carrier died and was shown to have typical AD neuropathology at autopsy. The two remaining asymptomatic mutation carriers, as well as all the noncarriers were asymptomatic. These mutation carriers who were near the expected age of onset of AD but without clinical signs of the disease, did not show changes in either electrophysiological parameters or volumes of the temporal lobes. However, in these 2 individuals the blood flow in the temporal lobe showed intermediate values between the symptomatic mutation carriers and healthy noncarriers. Two neuropsychological tests showed a deterioration that paralleled clinical symptoms in 1 of the mutation carriers who was close to the expected age of onset and who at the end of the follow-up had clinical signs of AD. In the same subject, brain glucose metabolism was pathologically reduced in the temporal lobes before other clinical symptoms were obvious. CONCLUSION: In this familial form of AD a reduced temporal lobe glucose metabolism was indicative of AD before the expected clinical onset. Reduced glucose metabolism even preceded the development of subjective or objective cognitive dysfunction and might therefore serve as a clinical marker for AD before the onset of clinical symptoms. Reduced cerebral blood flow in the temporal lobes and cognitive deterioration paralleled the clinical decline in the early stage of the disease. Copyrightz1999S.KargerAG,Basel

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PubMedDate not supplied

Cerebrospinal fluid tau levels increase with age in healthy individuals.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau is a promising biochemical ante-mortem marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Levels are increased in AD compared to other dementias, neurological diseases and healthy controls. An age-related decrease in both soluble tau and tau bound to paired helical filaments has been shown in brains from non-demented subjects. To study tau levels in normal ageing, we investigated CSF in 29 healthy individuals aged 45-80 years. A statistically significant increase in CSF tau with increasing age was found which might be caused by neuronal loss during normal ageing and redistribution of soluble tau from the brain into CSF. We could not demonstrate any influence by the APOE genotype, though larger populations have to be investigated to confirm this result. In conclusion, we found an age-dependent increase in CSF tau in healthy individuals. We emphasise the importance of establishing an age-dependent interval of CSF tau in non-demented subjects.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical diagnosis of frontal lobe dementia and Alzheimer's disease: relation to cerebral perfusion, brain atrophy and electroencephalography.

The regional cerebral blood flow, brain atrophy, white matter changes and neurophysiologic changes were evaluated in 28 patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in 8 patients with a clinical diagnosis of frontal lobe dementia (FLD) using single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography (EEG). We found that FLD patients had more severe frontal blood flow reduction and less severe parietal blood flow reduction compared to AD patients. Among patients with mild dementia the EEG changes were less severe in the FLD group. No significant differences were found in white matter changes or in regional atrophy.

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