Biomedical subjects

Alicia Osimani

Publications and source records attributed to Alicia Osimani.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Basal forebrain amnesia: a case study.

OBJECTIVE: To provide new evidence of the existence of basal forebrain amnesia, as a different entity from hippocampal or diencephalic amnesia. BACKGROUND: Some authors consider that the characteristics of amnesia do not depend on lesion site, although others claim there are neuropsychologic differences between amnesias due to hippocampal, diencephalic, and basal forebrain lesions. As to the latter, literature is scarce and controversial. The opportunity to thoroughly study J.S., a man with a high IQ and amnesia, enabled us to reinforce the second hypothesis. METHODS: J.S. is a 47-year-old man who underwent surgery for a pituitary adenoma, the resulting lesion involving only the basal forebrain. We gave him a complete neuropsychologic battery for amnesia and executive functions. RESULTS: J.S. showed severe amnesia with a flat learning curve, a rapid forgetting rate and good recognition, a temporal gradient of several years for remote memory, preserved semantic and procedural memory. Most of the tests for executive functions were normal, although he did have a significant personality change after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This patient is different from patients with hippocampal or diencephalic lesions, and is similar to other patients reported with basal forebrain lesions. The main difference is the relation between his flat learning curve and preserved recognition, both for visual and verbal material.

Adenoma↗

PubMed2005

Neuropsychology of vitamin B12 deficiency in elderly dementia patients and control subjects.

Cobalamin deficiency may cause cognitive deficits and even dementia. In Alzheimer's disease, the most frequent cause of dementia in elderly persons, low serum levels of vitamin B12, may be misleading. The aim of this work was to characterize the cognitive pattern of B12 deficiency and to compare it with that of Alzheimer's disease. Nineteen patients with low levels of vitamin B12 were neuropsychologically evaluated before treatment and a year later. Results were compared with those of 10 healthy control subjects. Final results suggest that there is a different pattern in both diseases. Twelve elderly patients with dementia improved with treatment. Seven elderly demented patients did not improve; they deteriorated after 1 year although their levels of cobalamin were normal. Analysis of the initial evaluation showed that the 2 groups of patients had a different neuropsychological profile. The group that improved had initially more psychotic problems and more deficits in concentration, visuospatial performance, and executive functions. They did not show language problems and ideomotor apraxia, which were present in the second group. Their memory pattern was also different. These findings suggest that cobalamin deficiency may cause a reversible dementia in elderly patients. This dementia may be differentiated from that of Alzheimer's disease by a thorough neuropsychological evaluation.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

[The real and ideal in the evaluation of functional competence among demented patients].

The progressive nature of the dementia of Alzheimer's disease has significant clinical, functional, legal and nursing implications. Traditionally, the grading of severity of the disease is based on evaluation of the patients' independence and competence. However, the term competence has been used in different respects, leading to obscuration and confusion. Moreover, the evaluation of competence is based on different tests and there is no single accepted method for this purpose. In the absence of such a criterion, there is a need for an objective test to evaluate the functional competence of the patient. This will be based on complex behavioral activities and instrumental activities of daily living in real situations, in the natural environment of the patient. The limits of available methods are discussed with practical suggestions for the development of such a test.

Activities of Daily Living↗