Dementia Prevention and Aromatherapy in Japan

Until recently, it was thought that dementia prevention was not possible. However, a recent paper reported that 40% of the risk factors for developing dementia are modifiable. Large-scale clinical studies on dementia prevention and various initiatives to reduce the risk of developing dementia have been made worldwide. In addition to the introduction of a global initiative in dementia prevention, I also introduce the results of our research on the development of the Tottori method dementia prevention program and aromatherapy to approach olfactory impairment in Alzheimer’s disease

Triphenyl{(E)-4-[4-(phenyldiazenyl)phenyl]-4H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl}boron

In the title compound, C32H26BN5 or [(C14H11N5)B(C6H5)3], the B atom is approximately tetra­hedrally coordinated. The diazo unit is in a trans conformation, which is generally more stable than a cis one for aromatic azo compounds. The crystal structure features very weak C—H⋯π inter­actions. The dihedral angles between the central benzene ring and the terminal rings in the heterocycle are 62.64, 73.54 and 61.60°

Dichlorido[1-(8-quinolylimino­meth­yl)-2-naphtholato]iron(III)

The FeIII ion in the title complex, [FeCl2(C20H13N2O)], has a distorted square-pyramidal coordination formed by one O atom and two N atoms from a tridentate 1-(8-quinolylimino­meth­yl)-2-naphtholate ligand and two Cl atoms. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules form a column structure along the a axis through π–π stacking inter­actions, with centroid–centroid distances of 3.657 (1) and 3.818 (2) Å. Weak C—H⋯Cl inter­actions are observed between the columns

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3rd Edition (WAIS-III): Usefulness in the Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

We examined Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients using a Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3rd Edition (JWAIS-III) to clarify i) the significance of expansion of the indicated age range, ii) the characteristics of cognitive impairment in AD patients and iii) the efficacy of th neuropsychological assessment for the early detection of AD using the Digit Symbol subtest, which involves attention and episodic memory, and the Pairing supplementa-ry test, which relates to digit symbol-incidental learning. The JWAIS-III was given to 43 AD patients (12 males and 31 females; mean age, 80.9 ± 6.3 years, who fulfilled the diagnostic cri-teria for AD on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association. Severity of dementia of the patients was classified according to Functional Assessment Staging (F) as follows: 9 patients in F3 (borderline), 15 in F4 (mild AD), 12 in F5 (moderate AD), 7 in F6 (somewhat severe AD) and none in F7 (severe AD). i) Mean intelligence quotients (IQs) were: Full Scale IQ 84.3 ± 14.0, Verbal IQ 84.6 ± 12.5 and Performance IQ 86.9 ± 15.5. Comparison of IQs and subtest scores of the patients aged 75 years or older assessed by standard scores for 70 to 74 years of age, which is the upper limit of the indicated age range on the WAIS-R (the previous version of the WAIS-III), with those assessed by the standard scores for the appropriate age revealed that the former were significantly lower in IQ and all subtest scores. ii) Significant differ-ences were noted among the severities of dementia in the scores of 7 subtests for Similarities, Comprehension, Arithmetic, Digit Span, Letter-Number Sequencing, Digit Symbol and Sym-bol Search. iii) When both the Digit Symbol subtest scores of 7 points or more and the Digit Sumbol-Pairing supplementary test scores exceeding 10% of the cumulative percentile were regarded as normal, 11 of 15 (73.3%) patients in F4 (mild AD) could be detected. These find-ings suggest that i) expansion of the indicated age range in the WAIS-III allows a more valid assessment of cognitive function in AD patients, ii) a marked decline in abstract thinking and verbal problem-solving ability and relative preservation of Perceptual organization are char-acteristics of cognitive impairment in AD patients and iii) a combination of the Digit Symbol subtest with the Pairing supplementary test is useful for the early detection of AD

How the Post-Fracture Rehabilitation Choice Affects Brain Function in Older People?

Background: We investigated how the type of rehabilitation affects brain function and antioxidant potential. Methods: Twenty-eight patients hospitalized for fall-related fractures were assigned to either a physical therapy group or an occupational therapy group. Cognition was assessed using the Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) and oxidative stress with serum pentosidine levels. Spectral analysis and coherence analysis were also performed. Results: Changes in TDAS scores and serum pentosidine levels did not differ significantly between the 2 therapies. Power spectral analysis revealed a significant intergroup difference in δ waves. Coherence analysis showed significant intergroup differences in the activities of δ waves and β waves. Conclusions: Cognitive function and antioxidant potential did not differ between the 2 types of rehabilitation. However, the impact on cerebral neuronal activity may have differed

Alteration of Concanavalin A Binding Glycoproteins in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. It is characterized pathologically by the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrilly tangles in the brain. Diagnostic markers for detecting earlier stages of AD are needed. We measured the intensity of concanavalin A (Con A) binding activities of glycoproteins of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of subjects to clarify the modification of core mannose since we expected that aberrant glycosylation of glycoproteins might be useful as a new biomarker for detecting AD. CSF samples were collected from 15 patients with probable AD (AD group), 5 patients with probable dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) (DLB group) and 8 controls without dementia (control group), whereas serum samples from 20 patients with probable AD and 20 controls without dementia were also collected. Glycoproteins in the CSF and serum were detected by lectin blotting using Con A. In the CSF of the AD group, 2 Con A binding glycoproteins were significantly higher compared with the control group. Furthermore, using analysis of variance, 3 Con A binding glycoproteins detected from the CSF of the AD group showed significant differences among the 3 groups. The levels of 3 Con A binding glycoproteins were significantly lower than in non-dementia controls in the serum. These changes in Con A binding activities did not depend on the amount of proteins. Therefore, the data indicate that the aberrance of protein glycosylation relates to the pathology of AD, and has some promise as a new biomarker for the diagnosis of AD

Post-fracture Rehabilitation Effects on Brain Function in Older People

[Background] Deterioration of cognitive function is an underlying cause of older people’s fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate electroencephalogram and cognitive function in patients hospitalized with fractures, both at admission (before intervention) and at the time of discharge (after intervention), to investigate the effects of rehabilitation on brain function. [Methods] A total of 24 patients hospitalized with fracture due to a fall were enrolled in this study. All the subjects received 140 minutes of rehabilitation every day during hospitalization. Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) was used to test their cognitive function. In electroencephalography (EEG), the Neuronal Activity Topography (NAT) system was used to calculate the “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) - normal controls (NLc) differential similarity” in sNAT, ie, a numerical index to show the proximity to AD or normal NLc. [Results] There was no significant difference in the total TDAS score among subjects who were examined before and after intervention, but 12 subjects who were observed with deterioration of cognitive functionat at before intervention had a significant improvement in “word-recognition,” a sub-item in TDAS (P < 0.05). In addition, the NAT analysis findings showed that the differential similarity in sNAT significantly approached the NLc pattern (P < 0.05). [Conclusion] EEGs in patients with fractures resulting from a fall became more similar to NL patterns at the time of discharge. In addition, recent-memory function of patients who had decline in cognitive function improved