Decline of physical and cognitive conditions in the elderly measured through the functional reach test and the mini-mental state examination

There are several tests used to evaluate the psychophysical characteristics of the elderly and, of these, the most suitable are the functional reach (FR) test, an index of the aptitude to maintain balance in an upright position, and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), a global index of cognitive abilities. The sample of elderly people we analyzed involved 50 healthy subjects divided into three age-groups (15 subjects from 55 to 64 years, 19 from 65 to 74 years, and 16 over 75 years of age); they underwent an FR test, which consists first in the measurement of the anthropometric characteristics, then in the execution of the test itself, and finally in the study of the upright posture by the analysis of the center of pressure (COP) trend; they underwent an MMSE as well to evaluate the main areas of the cognitive function concerning space-time orientation, short-term memory, attention ability, calculation ability and constructive praxis. The results of these tests show, according to the age of the subject, a loss of physical performance (FR, FR related to height, and COP displacement), as well as a loss of cognitive abilities; however, in all cases the only significant changes are those between the first and the other two age-groups. Finally, a comparison between FR and MMSE shows a more rapid decline of physical performance compared to cognitive performance. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Event-related brain potentials in elderly dippers and nondippers with recently diagnosed hypertension

Several studies have shown a relationship between pressure (BP) and cognitive function. Yet very few studies have addressed circadian BP patterns in this context, perhaps due to poor availability of suitable methods to detect slight changes in the cognitive state. Today, brain event-related potentials (ERPs) allow us to detect subclinical changes in cognitive function. We enrolled 30 elderly patients with recently diagnosed hypertension (<2 years) that had never been treated: 18 dippers and 12 nondippers. Patients underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Careful assessment of their cognitive state was carried out using the mini mental state examination (MMSE), and the recording of P300 and N2 ERPs. No significant differences between the two groups were found. MMSE scores in dippers and nondippers were similar (29.5±0.71 vs. 29.3±1.07, respectively; p=0.611), as were P300 latency values (377.78±33.28 vs. 364.67±35.12 in the central (Cz) position, p=0.310; 379.22±32.94 vs. 365.25± 35.07 in the occipital (Pz) position, p=0.277) and N2 wave latency values (253.83±24.9 vs. 249.17±24.47 in the Cz position, p=0.617; 251.56±25.86 vs. 246.58±25.46 in the Pz position, p=0.608 . These data show no association between the nondipping pattern and lower cognitive function in elderly subjects with recent hypertension