CERAD und NOSGER: Der prädiktive Wert dieser Verfahren in der Demenzdiagnostik einer Schweizer gerontopsychiatrischen Patientenpopulation

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Die CERAD-Batterie (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) ist ein gängiges Screeninginstrument in der Diagnostik der Alzheimer-Demenz. Dem NOSGER (Nurses Observation' Scale for Geriatric Patients), eigentlich entwickelt, um Verhaltensauffälligkeiten im Alltag zu erfassen, scheint bei der Alzheimer-Demenz auch eine diagnostische Bedeutung zuzukommen. Material und Methode: In einer retrospektiven Studie mit 400 Patienten unserer Klinik, die bei unterschiedlichen psychiatrischen Erkrankungen kognitive Störungen aufwiesen, haben wir CERAD und NOSGER mittels logistischer Berechnung in uni- und multivariaten Modellen auf ihren prädiktiven Wert für die Diagnose Demenz untersucht. Ergebnisse: Im univariaten Modell waren alle CERAD-Subtests signifikante Prädiktoren für Demenz. Das beste multivariate Modell umfasste die Subtests "Verbale Flüssigkeit", "Wortliste Abrufen", "Konstruktive Praxie Abrufen" und MMS (Mini-Mental Status). Der NOSGER zeigte keinen prädiktiven diagnostischen Wert. Schlussfolgerung: Innerhalb einer gerontopsychiatrischen Population grenzt der CERAD Demenzpatienten von nicht dementen mit hoher Vorhersagewahrscheinlichkeit ab, während der NOSGER keinen prädiktiven Wert für die Diagnose Demenz aufweis

Unrecognised long-lasting tramadol-induced delirium in two elderly patients. A case report

We present the cases of two elderly patients with intermittent long-term tramadol intake against chronic back pain. Over a period of more than two years they experienced fluctuating confusional states and cognitive deficits, reversible only after discontinuation of tramadol. According to the DSM IV-criteria, an unrecognised recurrent tramadol-induced delirium can be diagnosed in both cases. Although tramadol may represent a well established safe therapy for chronic non-malignant pain in the elderly, these cases demonstrate that it should be applied with caution even in healthy subjects

The impact of the CERAD-NP on diagnosis of cognitive deficiencies in late onset depression and Alzheimer's disease

The most efficacious combination of the CERAD-NP battery for discriminating between LOD and AD consisted of word list recall and constructional praxis recall. Of the CERAD-NP memory measures, word list recall, word list savings, and constructional praxis recall represented the best diagnostic combination

Correlation between disease severity and brain electric LORETA tomography in Alzheimer's disease

The present data support the hypothesis of an asymmetrical progression of the Alzheimer's disease

Rivastigmine effects on EEG spectra and three-dimensional LORETA functional imaging in Alzheimer’s disease

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to investigate the electrocortical and the global cognitive effects of 3 months rivastigmine medication in a group of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multichannel EEG and cognitive performances measured with the Mini Mental State Examination in a group of 16 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease were collected before and 3 months after the onset of rivastigmine medication. RESULTS: Spectral analysis of the EEG data showed a significant power decrease in the delta and theta frequency bands during rivastigmine medication, i.e., a shift of the power spectrum towards 'normalization'. Three-dimensional low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) functional imaging localized rivastigmine effects in a network that includes left fronto-parietal regions, posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral parahippocampal regions, and the hippocampus. Moreover, a correlation analysis between differences in the cognitive performances during the two recordings and LORETA-computed intracortical activity showed, in the alpha1 frequency band, better cognitive performance with increased cortical activity in the left insula. CONCLUSION: The results point to a 'normalization' of the EEG power spectrum due to medication, and the intracortical localization of these effects showed an increase of cortical activity in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions that are well-known to be affected in Alzheimer's disease. The topographic convergence of the present results with the memory network proposed by Vincent et al. (J. Neurophysiol. 96:3517-3531, 2006) leads to the speculation that in our group of patients, rivastigmine specifically activates brain regions that are involved in memory functions, notably a key symptom in this degenerative disease

Changes in reward-induced brain activation in opiate addicts

Many studies indicate a role of the cerebral dopaminergic reward system in addiction. Motivated by these findings, we examined in opiate addicts whether brain regions involved in the reward circuitry also react to human prototypical rewards. We measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with (H2O)-O-15 positron emission tomography (PET) during a visuo-spatial recognition task with delayed response in control subjects and in opiate addicts participating in a methadone program. Three conditions were defined by the types of feedback: nonsense feedback; nonmonetary reinforcement; or monetary reward, received by the subjects for a correct response. We found in the control subjects rCBF increases in regions associated with the meso-striatal and meso-corticolimbic circuits in response to both monetary reward and nonmonetary reinforcement. In opiate addicts, these regions were activated only in response to monetary reward. Furthermore, nonmonetary reinforcement elicited rCBF increases in limbic regions of the opiate addicts that were not activated in the control subjects. Because psychoactive drugs serve as rewards and directly affect regions of the dopaminergic system like the striatum, we conclude that the differences in rCBF increases between controls and addicts can be attributed to an adaptive consequence of the addiction process

CERAD und NOSGER. Der prädiktive Wert dieser Verfahren in der Demenzdiagnostik einer Schweizer gerontopsychiatrischen Patientenpopulation

In our gerontopsychiatric population, CERAD separates demented patients from nondemented ones with high predictive potency. The NOSGER does not reveal any predictive value for the diagnosis of dementia