Functional cognitive disorder in subjective cognitive decline—A 10‐year follow‐up

Objectives: In memory clinics, patients with significant memory complaints without objective neuropsychological findings are common. They are classified as subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and, as a group, face a heightened risk for future dementia. However, the SCD group is heterogeneous and comprises patients suffering from a somatoform condition, namely functional cognitive disorder (FCD). These patients make up at least 11% of memory clinics' attendees. The aim of this long-term follow-up study was to investigate if patients diagnosed with FCD also face a higher risk of developing dementia. Methods: Forty-two Patients were recruited at a university hospital memory clinic. FCD was diagnosed according to the Schmidtke criteria (see Table 1). Ten years later, all were invited again. Participants were interviewed, screened for depression and given neuropsychological tests of verbal memory and information processing speed. Cognitive impairment was defined as performance below 1.5 standard deviations (SD) of the age-related mean. Results: Twenty-eight of 42 patients (67%) took part in this follow-up. The group's mean results in both cognitive measures were stable over time. All individual performances were within 1.5 SD. With 10 patients (24%), brief contact was successful and manifest dementia could be excluded. Four patients (10%) could not be contacted. Conclusions: In retrospect, the Schmidtke criteria for FCD safely identified memory clinic attendees with SCD who did not proceed to Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia. None of the patients who could be contacted for this follow-up after a decade (90% of baseline participants) showed signs of dementia

Changes in cortical activation during mirror reading before and after training: an fMRI study of procedural learning

The neural correlates of procedural learning were studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the mirror reading paradigm. The aim of the study was to investigate a presumed learning-related change of activation in cortical areas that are involved in the performance of a nonmotor skill. Changes in cortical blood oxygenation contrast were recorded in 10 healthy subjects while they alternatively read visually presented single mirror script words and normal script words. Responses in naive subjects were compared to those acquired after training of mirror script reading. The acquisition volume included the motor and premotor cortex, the parietal lobe and the occipital lobe including its inferior aspects. Striate and extrastriate visual areas, associative parietal cortex and the premotor cortex were bilaterally active during normal and mirror script reading. Significantly stronger activation during mirror reading was seen in BA7 and 40 (parietal associative cortex) and in BA6 (corresponding to the frontal eye fields). Simultaneous eye movement recordings indicated that activation in BA6 was related to processing components other than saccade frequency. After training, BA6 and BA7 exhibited a decrease of activation during mirror reading that significantly exceeded nonspecific changes observed in the normal script control condition. The present findings confirm the hypothesis of practice-related decrease of activation in task-related cortical areas during nonmotor procedural learning

Early and Differential Diagnosis of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Design and Cohort Baseline Characteristics of the German Dementia Competence Network

Background: The German Dementia Competence Network (DCN) has established procedures for standardized multicenter acquisition of clinical, biological and imaging data, for centralized data management, and for the evaluation of new treatments. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was set up for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), patients with mild dementia and control subjects. The aims were to establish the diagnostic, differential diagnostic and prognostic power of a range of clinical, laboratory and imaging methods. Furthermore, 2 clinical trials were conducted with patients suffering from MCI and mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease (AD). These trials aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of the combination of galantamine and memantine versus galantamine alone. Results: Here, we report on the scope and projects of the DCN, the methods that were employed, the composition and flow within the diverse groups of patients and control persons and on the clinical and neuropsychological baseline characteristics of the group of 2,113 subjects who participated in the observational and clinical trials. Conclusion: These data have an impact on the procedures for the early and differential clinical diagnosis of dementias, the current standard treatment of AD as well as on future clinical trials in AD. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base

Körnerleguminosen und Bodenfruchtbarkeit - Strategien für einen erfolgreichen Anbau

Der Boden ist eine der wichtigsten Grundlagen unseres Lebens, das erkannte bereits der Bodenkundler und Jurist Friedrich Albert Fallou. Um der großen Bedeutung des Bodens gerecht zu werden, schrieb das „Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft“ (BÖLN*) eine interdisziplinäre Bekanntmachung aus, um praxisnahe Anbaustrategien zu entwickeln, um die Bodenfruchtbarkeit und Pflanzenernährung im Körnerleguminosenanbau zu verbessern. So wurde das interdisziplinäre Bodenfruchtbarkeitsprojekt ins Leben gerufen, in dem Wissenschaft, Beratung und Praxis eng verzahnt waren. Im Laufe des fünfjährigen Projektes kristallisierten sich viele praxisrelevante Erkenntnisse heraus, die nun in der Praxisbroschüre "Körnerleguminosen und Bodenfruchtbarkeit - Strategien für einen erfolgreichen Anbau" nachgelesen werden können

Steigerung der Wertschöpfung ökologisch angebauter Marktfrüchte durch Optimierung des Managements der Bodenfruchtbarkeit

Das interdisziplinäre Bodenfruchtbarkeitsprojekt beschäftigte sich in vier Versuchs- und fünf Projektjahren mit den Zusammenhängen zwischen dem Anbau von Körnerleguminosen und Bodenfruchtbarkeit, insbesondere auf viehschwachen bzw. viehlosen Biobetrieben. In Erhebungen auf 32 Praxisbetrieben konnten bislang allenfalls vermutete Zusammenhänge wie z. B. die Zunahme des Unkrautdeckungsgrades mit zunehmendem Humusgehalt bestätigt werden. Die Ergebnisse deuten auch darauf hin, dass z. B. die Anbauabstände im Erbsenanbau im Vergleich zu praxisüblichen Empfehlungen vergrößert werden müssen, daneben ergaben sich auch interessante neue Anknüpfungspunkte. Hinsichtlich der Leguminosengesundheit ermöglicht die neu entwickelte Differenzialdiagnose, die Ursache für ggf. auftretende „Leguminosenmüdigkeit“ einzugrenzen bzw. Praxisschläge vor dem Anbau auf Krankheitsrisiken zu testen. Im Projekt konnte außerdem gezeigt werden, dass Grüngutkomposte die Wurzelgesundheit von Erbsen deutlich verbessern können. Es wurden darüber hinaus verschiedene Methoden zur Kompostapplikation zu Körnerleguminosen geprüft und für den Praxiseinsatz optimiert. Neben Grüngutkomposten spielt auch Grünguthäcksel eine wichtige Rolle bei der Nährstoffversorgung von Leguminosen. Oberflächlich leicht eingearbeiteter Grünguthäcksel ist in der Lage, das Wachstum der Kulturpflanzen sowohl durch eine unkrautunterdrückende Wirkung als auch durch Schutz vor Verschlämmung sowie erhöhte Wasserinfiltrationsraten zu verbessern. Die Ergebnisse zum Landtechnikeinsatz zeigen, dass schon geringe Belastungen zu Bodenverdichtungen und damit zu Ertragsrückgängen in Erbsen führen, weshalb Maßnahmen zu Reduzierung des Bodendrucks essenziell sind. Hinsichtlich der beikrautunterdrückenden Wirkung des Gemengeanbaus von Erbsen in Kombination mit Hafer konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Gemengeanbau das erhöhte Beikrautaufkommen bei flachwendender Bodenbearbeitung erfolgreich ausgleichen kann und hinsichtlich der Ertragssicherheit Vorteile mit sich bringt. Nicht zuletzt machte das Projekt auf die Vorteile und Potenziale des Wintererbsenanbaus aufmerksam. Über einen fortlaufenden Wissenstransfer war das Projekt von Beginn an in der landwirtschaftlichen Praxis präsent

Leistungen des ökologischen Landbaus für Umwelt und Gesellschaft - Kontext, Zielsetzung und Vorgehen

Obwohl die Umweltauswirkungen des ökologischen Landbaus wissenschaftlich und politisch allgemein anerkannt sind, gibt es immer noch unterschiedliche Ansichten, wie der Beitrag des ökologischen Landbaus zur Lösung der Umwelt- und Ressourcenprobleme unserer Zeit bewertet werden kann. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt Hintergrund und Inhalt dieser Debatte und beschreibt den Ansatz zur Analyse des aktuellen Forschungsstandes

Memory Concerns, Memory Performance and Risk of Dementia in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Concerns about worsening memory ("memory concerns"; MC) and impairment in memory performance are both predictors of Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The relationship of both in dementia prediction at the pre-dementia disease stage, however, is not well explored. Refined understanding of the contribution of both MC and memory performance in dementia prediction is crucial for defining at-risk populations. We examined the risk of incident AD by MC and memory performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: We analyzed data of 417 MCI patients from a longitudinal multicenter observational study. Patients were classified based on presence (n=305) vs. absence (n=112) of MC. Risk of incident AD was estimated with Cox Proportional-Hazards regression models. Results: Risk of incident AD was increased by MC (HR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.33-4.89), lower memory performance (HR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.56-0.71) and ApoE4-genotype (HR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.18-3.02). An interaction effect between MC and memory performance was observed. The predictive power of MC was greatest for patients with very mild memory impairment and decreased with increasing memory impairment. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the power of MC as a predictor of future dementia at the MCI stage varies with the patients' level of cognitive impairment. While MC are predictive at early stage MCI, their predictive value at more advanced stages of MCI is reduced. This suggests that loss of insight related to AD may occur at the late stage of MCI

Diachrony of differential argument marking

While there are languages that code a particular grammatical role (e.g. subject or direct object) in one and the same way across the board, many more languages code the same grammatical roles differentially. The variables which condition the differential argument marking (or DAM) pertain to various properties of the NP (such as animacy or definiteness) or to event semantics or various properties of the clause. While the main line of current research on DAM is mainly synchronic the volume tackles the diachronic perspective. The tenet is that the emergence and the development of differential marking systems provide a different kind of evidence for the understanding of the phenomenon. The present volume consists of 18 chapters and primarily brings together diachronic case studies on particular languages or language groups including e.g. Finno-Ugric, Sino-Tibetan and Japonic languages. The volume also includes a position paper, which provides an overview of the typology of different subtypes of DAM systems, a chapter on computer simulation of the emergence of DAM and a chapter devoted to the cross-linguistic effects of referential hierarchies on DAM

Diachrony of differential argument marking

While there are languages that code a particular grammatical role (e.g. subject or direct object) in one and the same way across the board, many more languages code the same grammatical roles differentially. The variables which condition the differential argument marking (or DAM) pertain to various properties of the NP (such as animacy or definiteness) or to event semantics or various properties of the clause. While the main line of current research on DAM is mainly synchronic the volume tackles the diachronic perspective. The tenet is that the emergence and the development of differential marking systems provide a different kind of evidence for the understanding of the phenomenon. The present volume consists of 18 chapters and primarily brings together diachronic case studies on particular languages or language groups including e.g. Finno-Ugric, Sino-Tibetan and Japonic languages. The volume also includes a position paper, which provides an overview of the typology of different subtypes of DAM systems, a chapter on computer simulation of the emergence of DAM and a chapter devoted to the cross-linguistic effects of referential hierarchies on DAM