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Subjective memory complaints of family members of patients with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

BACKGROUND: First-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and major depression (MD) carry an increased genetic risk for the same disorders. Subjective memory complaints of the family members of patients might be an early sign or an indicator of an increased risk of either dementia or depression. Alternatively, they might be the consequence of the increased subjective awareness of relatives and spouses of patients of their own age-associated memory failures. To investigate the relevance of the above-mentioned hypotheses, the prevalence rates of subjective memory complaints of first-degree relatives and spouses of patients with AD, of patients with MD and of control subjects were compared. METHODS: Personal interviews were conducted with 718 first-degree relatives and 196 spouses of 146 AD patients, 168 patients with MD and 136 control subjects from the general population. The prevalences of subjective memory complaints by relatives or spouses were compared using chi(2) tests. To control for differences of gender and age at onset, Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were no differences in the prevalence of subjective memory complaints by first-degree relatives of subjects with AD, MD and controls after controlling for age differences. The same applies to the subjective memory complaints in their spouses. CONCLUSION: Subjective memory complaints were frequent in family members. However, they were neither associated with the genetic risk of AD or of MD nor could they be explained by an increased awareness by having a demented spouse or relative. Consequently, familial factors seem to have a limited influence on the presence of subjective memory complaints in the elderly.

Aged↗

Posttraumatic reactions among injured children and their caregivers 3 months after the terrorist attack in Beslan.

This report describes symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a group of Beslan's children (N=22) and their primary caregivers (N=20) 3 months after the children had been taken hostage in their school by a group of terrorists. Attention and memory were also measured. Children and their caretakers showed high levels of ongoing PTSD symptoms. Children also showed difficulties in sustaining attention and in short-term memory (digit span). These scores strongly indicate the need for appropriate interventions and ongoing monitoring of course of recovery.

Adolescent↗

[Specialized memory consultation and management of dementia syndrome].

The specialized memory consultation is based on two successive examinations: one by a neurologist, the other by a psychologist, using standardized batteries of tests. In 200 consecutive subjects with 63.8 years mean age, the authors observe dementia syndromes (39%), age related disorders of memory (6.5%), psychiatric disorders (28.5%), disorders after brain injury or neurosurgery (18.5%) and medical neurological pathologies (5.5%). Patients are addressed by practician in 34.5%. In the group of 78 patients with dementia syndrome were studied the delay before consultation, familial story, memory complaints of patients and family and diagnosis. In subjects with memory complaints a psychometric evaluation performed by a team of specialists seems to be a mean of refining the diagnosis and to improve a personalized management.

Aging↗

Increased discrimination of "false memories" in autism spectrum disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have impaired ability to use context, which may manifest as alterations of relatedness within the semantic network. However, impairment in context use may be more difficult to detect in high-functioning adults with ASD. To test context use in this population, we examined the influence of context on memory by using the "false memory" test. In the false memory task, lists of words were presented to high-functioning subjects with ASD and matched controls. Each list consists of words highly related to an index word not on the list. Subjects are then given a recognition test. Positive responses to the index words represent false memories. We found that individuals with ASD are able to discriminate false memory items from true items significantly better than are control subjects. Memory in patients with ASD may be more accurate than in normal individuals under certain conditions. These results also suggest that semantic representations comprise a less distributed network in high-functioning adults with ASD. Furthermore, these results may be related to the unusually high memory capacities found in some individuals with ASD. Research directed at defining the range of tasks performed superiorly by high-functioning individuals with ASD will be important for optimal vocational rehabilitation.

Adult↗

[Neuropsychological symptoms in opticochiasmatic arachnoiditis].

The picture of neuropsychological signs detected in 34 patients with optoschiasmatic arachnoiditis was analyzed before and after surgical treatment and a course of treatment with optic nerve electrostimulation. Pathological process was shown to spread on optic nerves and schiasma, and on other brain structures as well, e. g., frontal lobes basal regions. Besides, the impairment of a range of psychic functions could result from the decrease in the general brain activation levels related to a reduced flow of visual information due to fast progress of visual disorders. In this respect, the least favorable was first year of the disease. Verbal mnestic functions were improved under effective treatment restoring the vision.

Adolescent↗

Deficits of organizational strategy and visual memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This study was conducted to investigate the deficits of organizational strategy and visual memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty OCD patients and 30 healthy controls aged 20-35 years participated. The Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test were administered to participants. The authors scored ROCF performances using the Boston Qualitative Scoring System. The OCD patients showed poorer planning ability and higher fragmentation than did healthy controls when copying the ROCF, and they showed even poorer performances in the immediate and delayed recall conditions. The authors found that the Organization score in the copy condition mediated the difference between the OCD group and the healthy group in immediate recall. The direct effect of diagnosis (OCD or healthy) on the immediate recall condition of the ROCF was also significant. This study indicates that people with OCD have poor memory function and organizational deficits.

Adult↗

Cognitive rehabilitation in the elderly: effects on strategic behavior in relation to goal management.

Executive functions are highly sensitive to the effects of aging and other conditions affecting frontal lobe function. Yet there are few validated interventions specifically designed to address executive functions, and, to our knowledge, none validated in a healthy aging sample. As part of a large-scale cognitive rehabilitation randomized trial in 49 healthy older adults, a modified Goal Management Training program was included to address the real-life deficits caused by executive dysfunction. This program emphasized periodic suspension of ongoing activity to establish goal hierarchies and monitor behavioral output. Tabletop simulated real-life tasks (SRLTs) were developed to measure the processes targeted by this intervention. Participants were randomized to two groups, one of which received the intervention immediately and the other of which was wait-listed prior to rehabilitation. Results indicated improvements in SRLT performance and self-rated executive deficits coinciding with the training in both groups. These gains were maintained at long-term follow-up. Future research will assess the specificity of these effects in patient groups.

Aged↗

Effects of amphetamine on visuospatial working memory performance in schizophrenia spectrum personality disorder.

Our objective was to determine if amphetamine improves visuospatial working memory, which is impaired in the schizophrenia spectrum and may be modulated by dopamine in prefrontal cortex. To this end, oral amphetamine (30 mg) was administered to 12 patients with schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders and 13 patients with other, nonschizophrenia-related personality disorders. Visuospatial working memory was assessed using the Dot test; a test in which subjects are asked to memorize and reproduce the position of a dot on a sheet of paper. Patients with schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders performed significantly worse than the comparison group in the placebo condition and showed significantly greater improvement after amphetamine, as compared to a nonschizophrenia-related personality disorder comparison group. Patients with greatest impairment at baseline improved most. Amphetamine tended to improve negative symptoms; whereas, positive symptoms remained unchanged. Amphetamine may improve visuospatial working memory in schizophrenia spectrum patients.

Adult↗

The impact of cognitive and psychiatric impairment of psychotic disorders on the test of memory malingering (TOMM).

The author analyzes the scores of inpatient psychiatric patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment who met criteria for a psychotic disorder on the following tests: the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition, Conner's Continuous Performance Test-Second Edition, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Expanded Version. Group 1 consisted of psychotic-disordered patients with significant concentration problems (concentration impersistence = 29). Group 2 consisted of psychotic disordered patients without significant concentration problems (no concentration impairment = 21). Although psychotic patients with concentration problems showed greater variability across TOMM trials, both groups obtained mean scores above 45 on Trial 2 and the retention trial on the TOMM. These findings indicate that cognitive impairment associated with psychosis generally does not negatively impair TOMM performance to such a level that would produce a false positive on the TOMM. Implications for forensic assessment, study limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Adult↗

Visuospatial executive function in Turner syndrome: functional MRI and neurocognitive findings.

Turner syndrome is a genetic disorder that results from an abnormal or missing X chromosome in females and is typically associated with impairments in visuospatial, but not verbal, information processing. These visuospatial processing impairments may be exacerbated with increased task demands, such as those engaged during working memory (WM). While previous studies have examined spatial WM function in Turner syndrome, none have directly compared the neural correlates of spatial and verbal WM processes across the encoding, maintenance and retrieval phases. We employed both neurocognitive assessments and functional MRI (fMRI) to examine the neural circuitry underlying both verbal and visuospatial WM functions in individuals with Turner syndrome and normal controls. We furthermore examined the vulnerability of task-related fMRI activation to distracters presented during WM maintenance. Fifteen healthy female volunteers and eight individuals with Turner syndrome performed a delayed-response WM task during fMRI scanning. Neurocognitive tests revealed impaired performance across both verbal and spatial domains in Turner syndrome, with greater impairment on tasks with WM demands. Frontoparietal regions in controls showed significantly sustained levels of activation during visuospatial WM. This sustained activation was significantly reduced in the group with Turner syndrome. Domain-specific activation of temporal regions, in contrast, did not differ between the two groups. Sensory distraction during the WM maintenance phase did not differentially alter frontoparietal activation between the two groups. The results reveal impaired frontoparietal circuitry recruitment during visuospatial executive processing in Turner syndrome, suggesting a significant role for the X chromosome in the development of these pathways.

Adolescent↗

Attention, arousal, and memory in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Vietnam combat veterans with current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with other Axis-I disorders, or with no Axis-I disorders completed a series of tasks designed to elucidate the psychophysiological parameters of information-processing in PTSD. These tasks included a modified Stroop procedure (MSP), a standard Stroop procedure, a recognition memory task, and a threat rating task. Physiological responses were recorded throughout the study. Our data supported several predictions derived from information-processing models of PTSD. PTSD subjects exhibited greater MSP interference to high threat words than both comparison groups, and a liberal response bias toward recognizing military-related words. PTSD symptoms and threat reactions contributed to MSP interference effects for high-threat words after controlling for medications, depression, and baseline physiological activity.

Adult↗

[Psychiatric disorders in patients of a memory outpatient clinic].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether psychiatric conditions other than depression are relevant in elder patients with memory disturbances. METHODS: 430 consecutive outpatients (242 males, 188 females; mean age 61.7 years) who visited the Maastricht Memory Clinic were examined, according to a standardised diagnostic procedure, including somatic, neurological, psychiatric and neuropsychological examination. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed according to DSM-III(-R) criteria. RESULTS: Of 152 patients with dementia, 34 had a secondary depressive syndrome, 19 another secondary psychiatric disorder. Of the 37 patients with a psycho-organic disorder other than dementia, 16 had an organic mood disorder. Of the other 241 patients, 152 had 159 primary psychiatric diagnoses: mood disorders in 100 cases and other psychiatric disorders in 59 cases, especially adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders and personality disorders. Together, only 60% percent of all primary or secondary psychiatric disorders were mood disorders. Various ways in which organic substrate, cognitive problems and psychopathology can be interrelated are discussed. CONCLUSION: Although affective disorders were the most frequent psychiatric disorders, several other psychiatric conditions were related to memory disturbances as well. Psychiatric assessment in patients with memory complaints should not be restricted to the diagnosis of depressive symptoms.

Adolescent↗

Autobiographical memory predicts cognitive but not somatic change in sleep apnea patients vulnerable for affective disorder.

BACKGROUND: Autobiographical memory style (AM) can serve as a marker for determining susceptibility for depression. Currently and formerly depressed persons show reduced specific memory for autobiographical events. AM also has proven to be a reliable predictor for the remissive course of depression. Recently the issue arose as to whether this predictive power depends on particular dimensions of depression (cognitive, somatic). METHODS: To replicate the predictability in vulnerable patients, we tested two groups of obstructive sleep apnea patients (OSAS) before and 2 months after initiation of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy (nCPAP). One group had a history of major depression (vulnerable persons; VUL), and the other group did not (NON-VUL). Sensitivity of AM on the dimensions of depression was assessed through two published versions of the cognitive and somatic subscales of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: There was a significant interaction of Group by AM recall after presentation of positively valenced cues (AMpos) on the cognitive but not on the somatic dimension of the BDI. Only in the VUL did AMpos predict recovery. LIMITATIONS: Generalizability to other patient populations awaits further research. Reliability of the vulnerability assessment prior to the OSAS onset was not established. CONCLUSIONS: First, our findings further support the trait assumption of AM. Second, the AM methodology suggests sensitivity to only the cognitive dimensions of depression.

Adult↗

The Bracha reflexes. Neurological indicators of localisation of brain damage. Implications for diagnosis and therapy of organic mental disorders.

Described are four relatively unknown primitive reflexes, considered as indicators of localised neuropathology in patients with organic mental disorder. The pollico-mental reflex indicates dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex of the contralateral hemisphere, as found in cortical dementia. The snout-reflex indicates dysfunction of the dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nigro-striatal system. The labio-mental reflex indicates dysfunction of the limbic cortex and the baso-lateral limbic circuit (amygdala) of the contralateral hemisphere, involved in organic schizoaffective syndromes. The linguo-mental reflex indicates dysfunction of the temporal cortex and the medial limbic circuit (hippocampus) of the contra-lateral hemisphere, involved in the amnestic syndrome and in subcortical dementia. The diagnostic relevance and the implications for management with psychotropic drugs are discussed. The need for further research, validating these observations, is stressed.

Aged↗

Memory scanning and retrieval in affective disorders.

Previous studies have consistently demonstrated unimpaired memory scanning and retrieval in schizophrenic patients. Using the choice-reaction time paradigm, this study assessed the speed of short-term memory processing for pictorial information in both unipolar and bipolar depressives by comparing it with that of schizophrenics. It was found that the processing rate is comparable between depressives and schizophrenics, between unipolar and bipolar depressives, and between depressives on medication and those not on medication. It was concluded, therefore, that the short-term memory scanning and retrieval processes are not impaired in depressive patients. The results further suggested that the depressives' slowness often found in simple reaction time tasks may result from a dysfunction in their stimulus encoding and/or response execution rather than in the central information-identification process.

Adult↗

[Memory functions in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder--the effects of methylphenidate on them].

The memory functions or capacities in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) are still not clear, though it has been pointed that the working memory in AD/HD could be impaired due to difficulties of motor inhibition or self-regulation. We examined the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) in addition to the memory tasks of ordinary intelligence tests (WISC-III and K-ABC) in children with AD/HD. Whether these results could be improved by methylphenidate administration or not was also evaluated. Over the half cases had normal results without medication. Some cases in whom methylphenidate were clinically effective showed improved memory functions, especially in the auditory long-term memory, after methylphenidate administration. In conclusion, memory capacities seem normal in AD/HD. Methylphenidate does not have an effect on the memory capacities, but may improve the strategies in which the short-term memory can be effectively transferred to the long-term memory.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗