Hedonic Deficits in Parkinson’s Disease: Is Consummatory Anhedonia Specific?

Background: Anhedonia, the lowered ability to experience pleasure, is one of the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that is underdiagnosed and consequently undertreated. Few studies have investigated anhedonia in PD by taking into account the influence of socio-demographic variables and versus a control group composed of patients with a pure motor neurologic disease other than PD. The aim of this study was to investigate hedonic deficits in patients with PD compared to a control group of patients with non-Parkinson motor neurologic disease (OND), matched for age, gender, level of education, and inpatient/outpatient status. Distinctions between anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia and between endogenomorphic and non-endogenomorphic depression were taken into account. Methods: The study population comprised 49 PD patients and 40 subjects with OND. Anhedonia was rated by using the anticipatory [Temporal Experience Pleasure Scale (TEPS)-ANT] and consummatory (TEPS-CONS) subscales of the TEPS and two subscales extracted from the revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (PAS), measuring physical anticipatory (PAS-ANT) and physical consummatory (PAS-CONS) anhedonias. The Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were also used together with a subscale extracted from the BDI-II (ENDO-BDI-II) for the diagnosis of endogenomorphic depression. Statistical analyses were performed on the whole group and on the PD group. Results: As hypothesized, several anhedonia scores varied with age and gender in the whole population or in the PD group. On univariate or multivariate analyses, only PAS-CONS was specific for PD and only SHAPS scores differed between depression subtypes in the whole population or the PD group. Conclusion: This study suggests that physical consummatory anhedonia could be specific to PD subjects

Cerebrospinal fluid and blood flow in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a differential diagnosis from idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) enables quantification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and total cerebral blood (tCBF) flow and may be of value for the etiological diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. This investigation aimed to study CSF flow and intracerebral vascular flow in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) and to compare the results with patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and with healthy elderly volunteers (HEV).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten a-MCI and 9 mild AD patients were identified in a comprehensive neurological and neuropsychological assessment. They underwent brain MRI; PC-MRI pulse sequence was performed with the following parameters: two views per segment; flip angle: 25° for vascular flow and 20° for CSF flow; field-of-view (FOV): 14 × 14 mm²; matrix: 256 × 128; slice thickness: 5 mm; with one excitation for exams on the 3 T machine, and 2 excitations for the 1.5 T machine exams. Velocity (encoding) sensitization was set to 80 cm/s for the vessels at the cervical level, 10 or 20 cm/s for the aqueduct and 5 cm/s for the cervical subarachnoid space (SAS). Dynamic flow images were analyzed with in-house processing software. The patients' results were compared with those obtained for HEVs (n = 12), and for NPH patients (n = 13), using multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Arterial tCBF and the calculated pulsatility index were significantly greater in a-MCI patients than in HEVs. In contrast, vascular parameters were lower in NPH patients. Cervical CSF flow analysis yielded similar values for all four populations. Aqueductal CSF stroke volumes (in μl per cardiac cycle) were similar in HEVs (34 ± 17) and AD patients (39 ± 18). In contrast, the aqueductal CSF was hyperdynamic in a-MCI patients (73 ± 33) and even more so in NPH patients (167 ± 89).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our preliminary data show that a-MCI patients present with high systolic arterial peak flows, which are associated with higher mean total cerebral arterial flows. Aqueductal CSF oscillations are within normal range in AD and higher than normal in NPH. This study provides an original dynamic vision of cerebral neurodegenerative diseases, consistent with the vascular theory for AD, and supporting primary flow disturbances different from those observed in NPH.</p

Inflammatory Role of Toll-Like Receptors in Human and Murine Adipose Tissue

It was recently demonstrated that TLR4 activation via dietary lipids triggers inflammatory pathway and alters insulin responsiveness in the fat tissue during obesity. Here, we question whether other TLR family members could participate in the TLR-mediated inflammatory processes occurring in the obese adipose tissue. We thus studied the expression of TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 in adipose tissue. These receptors are expressed in omental and subcutaneous human fat tissue, the expression being higher in the omental tissue, independently of the metabolic status of the subject. We demonstrated a correlation of TLRs expression within and between each depot suggesting a coregulation. Murine 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells stimulated with Pam3CSK4 induced the expression of some proinflammatory markers. Therefore, beside TLR4, other toll-like receptors are differentially expressed in human fat tissue, and functional in an adipocyte cell line, suggesting that they might participate omental adipose tissue-related inflammation that occurs in obesity

The Livelihood Change of Fishermen Recipient Grant Program of Coalition Party in Lubuk Puding Village Buru District of Karimun Regency of Riau Islands Province

This study was conducted in January 2016 in the village of Lubuk Puding in the District of Buru Karimun Riau Islands Province. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of fishing grantees, to determine changes in fishing livelihoods after receiving the grant, and to determine the relationship characteristic of changes, livelihoods and grants program. The method used in this study was survey of 160 grantees fishermen population, in which this study taken as much as 15% of the 160 populations or 24 peoples.Based on the research result, the characteristics of grant recipient are productive fishermenage, low education and the number of family member of fishermen. The livelihood of fishermen grant recipients changed from the preparatory stage to the growth stage, while in food consumption and employment on a fixed income and sanitation and hygiene unchanged. Characteristics with real changes in the livelihoods of fishermen are age which have relationship with income and with the job opportunities, the number of family member has relationship with food consumption and grant, and food consumption have relationships with the grant

The Behavioral and Cognitive Executive Disorders of Stroke: The GREFEX Study.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have highlighted the high prevalence of executive disorders in stroke. However, major uncertainties remain due to use of variable and non-validated methods. The objectives of this study were: 1) to characterize the executive disorder profile in stroke using a standardized battery, validated diagnosis criteria of executive disorders and validated framework for the interpretation of neuropsychological data and 2) examine the sensitivity of the harmonization standards protocol proposed by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Canadian Stroke Network (NINDS-CSN) for the diagnosis of Vascular Cognitive Impairment. METHODS: 237 patients (infarct: 57; cerebral hemorrhage: 54; ruptured aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA): 80; cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT): 46) were examined by using the GREFEX battery. The patients' test results were interpreted with a validated framework derived from normative data from 780 controls. RESULTS: Dysexecutive syndrome was observed in 88 (55.7%; 95%CI: 48-63.4) out of the 156 patients with full cognitive and behavioral data: 40 (45.5%) had combined behavioral and cognitive syndromes, 29 (33%) had a behavioral disorder alone and 19 (21.6%) had a cognitive syndrome alone. The dysexecutive profile was characterized by prominent impairments of initiation and generation in the cognitive domain and by hypoactivity with disinterest and anticipation loss in the behavioral domain. Cognitive impairment was more frequent (p = 0.014) in hemorrhage and behavioral disorders were more frequent (p = 0.004) in infarct and hemorrhage. The harmonization standards protocol underestimated (p = 0.007) executive disorders in CVT or ACoA. CONCLUSIONS: This profile of executive disorders implies that the assessment should include both cognitive tests and a validated inventory for behavioral dysexecutive syndrome. Initial assessment may be performed with a short cognitive battery, such as the harmonization standards protocol. However, administration of a full cognitive battery is required in selected patients

Senescence in cell oxidative status in two bird species with contrasting life expectancy

Oxidative stress occurs when the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by an organism exceeds its capacity to mitigate the damaging effects of the ROS. Consequently, oxidative stress hypotheses of ageing argue that a decline in fecundity and an increase in the likelihood of death with advancing age reported at the organism level are driven by gradual disruption of the oxidative balance at the cellular level. Here, we measured erythrocyte resistance to oxidative stress in the same individuals over several years in two free-living bird species with contrasting life expectancy, the great tit (known maximum life expectancy is 15.4years) and the Alpine swift (26years). In both species, we found evidence for senescence in cell resistance to oxidative stress, with patterns of senescence becoming apparent as subjects get older. In the Alpine swift, there was also evidence for positive selection on cell resistance to oxidative stress, the more resistant subjects being longer lived. The present findings of inter-individual selection and intra-individual deterioration in cell oxidative status at old age in free-living animals support a role for oxidative stress in the ageing of wild animals

Cervical artery dissection in patients >= 60 years Often painless, few mechanical triggers

Objective: In a cohort of patients diagnosed with cervical artery dissection (CeAD), to determine the proportion of patients aged >= 60 years and compare the frequency of characteristics (presenting symptoms, risk factors, and outcome) in patients aged = 60 years. Methods: We combined data from 3 large cohorts of consecutive patients diagnosed with CeAD (i. e., Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients-Plus consortium). We dichotomized cases into 2 groups, age >= 60 and Results: Among 2,391 patients diagnosed with CeAD, we identified 177 patients (7.4%) aged >= 60 years. In this age group, cervical pain (ORadjusted 0.47 [0.33-0.66]), headache (ORadjusted 0.58 [0.42-0.79]), mechanical trigger events (ORadjusted 0.53 [0.36-0.77]), and migraine (ORadjusted 0.58 [0.39-0.85]) were less frequent than in younger patients. In turn, hypercholesterolemia (ORadjusted 1.52 [1.1-2.10]) and hypertension (ORadjusted 3.08 [2.25-4.22]) were more frequent in older patients. Key differences between age groups were confirmed in secondary analyses. In multivariable, adjusted analyses, favorable outcome (i. e., modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) was less frequent in the older age group (ORadjusted 0.45 [0.25, 0.83]). Conclusion: In our study population of patients diagnosed with CeAD, 1 in 14 was aged >= 60 years. In these patients, pain and mechanical triggers might be missing, rendering the diagnosis more challenging and increasing the risk ofmissed CeAD diagnosis in older patients.Peer reviewe

Cognitive disorders in patients with chronic kidney disease: specificities of clinical assessment

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Associations among hypertension, dementia biomarkers, and cognition: The MEMENTO cohort

Introduction Approximately 40% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented acting on modifiable risk factors including hypertension. However, the mechanisms underlying the hypertension–dementia association are still poorly understood. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in 2048 patients from the MEMENTO cohort, a French multicenter clinic-based study of outpatients with either isolated cognitive complaints or mild cognitive impairment. Exposure to hypertension was defined as a combination of high blood pressure (BP) status and antihypertensive treatment intake. Pathway associations were examined through structural equation modeling integrating extensive collection of neuroimaging biomarkers and clinical data. Results Participants treated with high BP had significantly lower cognition compared to the others. This association was mediated by higher neurodegeneration and higher white matter hyperintensities load but not by Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers. Discussion These results highlight the importance of controlling hypertension for prevention of cognitive decline and offer new insights on mechanisms underlying the hypertension–dementia association. Highlights Paths of hypertension–cognition association were assessed by structural equation models. The hypertension–cognition association is not mediated by Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. The hypertension–cognition association is mediated by neurodegeneration and leukoaraiosis. Lower cognition was limited to participants treated with uncontrolled blood pressure. Blood pressure control could contribute to promote healthier brain aging.Stopping cognitive decline and dementia by fighting covert cerebral small vessel diseas