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Biomedical subjects

E Luczywek

Publications and source records attributed to E Luczywek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

The rate of conversion of mild cognitive impairment to dementia: predictive role of depression.

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition referring to the persons with cognitive deficits measurable in some form or another, but not meeting criteria for dementia, and who have an increased risk of becoming demented. OBJECTIVE: To establish the rate of progression to dementia in MCI, to investigate the risk of conversion for amnestic vs multiple-domains subtypes, and to identify the predictors of progression. METHODS: MCI (n = 105) individuals enrolled in a longitudinal study received annual clinical and psychometric examinations for up to a mean of 3 years. The diagnosis of MCI according to Mayo Clinic Petersen's Criteria was conducted by a panel of specialists. RESULTS: After 3 years of follow-up, 23 of 105 subjects with MCI were diagnosed with dementia. 40 showed cognitive decline not dementia, 34 were stable and showed no cognitive decline or improvement, while eight showed cognitive improvement. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that conversion rate from MCI to DSM-IIIR dementia was 21.9% over a period of 3 years. The occurrence of depressive symptoms may constitute a predictor for those who are more likely to progress to dementia. The risk of conversion to dementia was higher among the subjects with an evidence of impairment extending beyond memory than with those who suffered only from memory deficits, and the subjects who converted to dementia in this subtype had significantly higher baseline plasma total homocysteine levels than non-converters.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of major and minor depression in elderly persons with mild cognitive impairment--MADRS factor analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to detect the prevalence of depressive syndromes and symptoms in the sample of elderly persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and to analyse Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating (MADRS) item scores. METHOD: The subjects of the study were 102 consecutive out-patients with MCI. All subjects were assessed by an experienced psychiatrist and MADRS was applied. Major and minor depressive episodes were defined according to DSM-IV criteria. Factor analysis was used to analyse baseline MADRS item scores. RESULTS: Three patient groups emerged according to the depressive symptoms distribution and severity scores basis: those with major depression constituted 19.6% (n = 20), with minor depression 26.5% (n = 27), and with very few depressive symptoms 53.9% (n = 55). Three interpretable MADRS factors were identified, using the factor analysis with Varimax rotation: the first consisting of apparent and reported sadness, inability to feel, pessimistic thoughts, the second consisting of inner tension, reduced sleep, reduced appetite, suicidal thoughts, and the third with concentration difficulties and lassitude. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that both major and minor depression is common in MCI. Three MADRS factors were identified and labelled as anhedonia-pessimism, anxiety-vegetative, and cognitive-inhibition.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Homocysteine, apolipoproteine E and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia disorder in elderly people. Currently, the only known genetic factor associated with the development of sporadic AD is the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) 4 allele. There is a need to identify other environmental and genetic risk factors that could modulate the risk of developing sporadic AD. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the correlation between the ApoE and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and plasma homocysteine levels and vitamins (B(12) and folic acid) concentrations in serum from patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as compared with control group. METHODS: The study was carried out in 99 AD patients, 98 subjects with MCI and 100 healthy subjects. Diagnosis of probable AD was made according to the NINCDS-ADRDA and DSM-IV criteria. The following factors were analysed: age, gender, duration of disease, concentration of plasma total homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B(12) in the serum and the polymorphism of MTHRF and ApoE genes. The results obtained were analysed by multivariate analysis of regression. RESULTS: We found that plasma total homocysteine is increased in AD patients (p < 0.0001) and depended on the MTHFR T/T genotype in the presence of low folate levels (p < 0.05). The increased frequency of ApoE4 allele in the AD population was independent of homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B(12) levels and MTHFR status. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the concentration of plasma total homocysteine is increased in AD patients. This may be associated with the T/T genotype in the MTHFR gene; however, the distribution of the MTHRF C677T polymorphism in the Polish population does not differ in AD and controls.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Behavioural pathology in Alzheimer's disease with special reference to apolipoprotein E genotype.

The aim of this study was to define the co-occurrence of behavioural symptoms and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in relation to apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Probable AD patients from the Alzheimer's Day Clinic (n = 139) were assessed with the 'Behavioural Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease' rating scale, and their APOE genotype was determined. This study demonstrated no relationship between presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele and any of the behavioural symptoms assessed, including delusions, hallucinations, depression, activity disturbances, aggressiveness and anxiety. Activity disturbances, delusions, hallucinations and aggressiveness paralleled the severity of AD, increasing in frequency with the severity of the dementia. The prevalence of delusions, hallucinations, aggressiveness and depression were found to be associated with lower levels of education.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Memory impairment in patients with stereotaxic lesions to the hippocampus and amygdala.

The study aimed at testing: (1) whether stereotaxic damage to the hippocampus and amygdala results in a memory deficit, (2) whether the memory functions subserved by the hippocampus are lateralized and (3) whether time limited storage of sensory information is impaired after focal hippocampal and amygdalar lesions. Seven patients with unilateral stereotaxic damage to the anterior part of hippocampus and unilateral or bilateral damage to the medial part of amygdala and 11 control subjects with no brain damage participated in the research. They were presented with memory tests that required either remembering a spatial arrangement of simultaneously presented verbal vs nonverbal stimuli or a temporal order of sequentially presented items. Moreover, a sensory information storage test was used. The results indicate that even small damage limited to the anterior part of the hippocampus and medial part of the amygdala results in a mild memory deficit. Memory impairment was not related to the side of hippocampal lesion. This suggests that memory function subserved by the hippocampus is not lateralized. Differential effects of left and right lobectomies found in previous studies were, thus, probably due to the damage to temporal cortex. The results showed, however, that sensory information storage limited to 3 s is not impaired after focal damage to the hippocampus and amygdala. A clear lateralization effect showing right hemisphere advantage in that function was found.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1980

The effect of medial amygdalotomy and anterior hippocampotomy on behavior and seizures in epileptic patients.

In 70 patients with epilepsy and severe behavioural disturbances with EEG changes in the temporal regions, we performed EEG investigations of deep temporal structures, temporal cortex and scalp, using Talairach's stereotactic apparatus. Taking into account the recorded changes we performed 115 stereotactic lesions on the medial amygdala (both unilaterally and bilaterally) and on the anterior hippocampus (cornu Ammonis). The results in epileptic processes were: total recovery in 11.4%, evident clinical improvement in 74.3% and no improvement in 14.3%. Similar results were obtained in behavioural disturbances. Bilateral amygdalotomy and unilateral hippocampotomy in selected cases may produce recovery or amelioration and make possible return to normal social life for epileptic patients with severe behavioural changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Memory and learning in epileptic patients treated by amygdalotomy and anterior hippocampotomy.

The memory and learning capacity in patients treated for temporal epilepsy was studied. The study was performed in 55 patients, observed before and after stereotaxic amygdalotomy and hippocampotomy. Very often disturbances in memory and learning capability were present before surgery. After surgery their learning efficiency increased. Disturbances in memory tracing, as provoked by distraction, remained at the same level after neurosurgery. No decrease in general intelligence was noted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[Effect of right-sided hippocampotomy on memory and learning ability].

The authors report the results of memory and learning ability investigations in a patient treated with hippocampotomy (uncotomy) for severe epileptic seizures. In the seeg investigations the changes were most pronounced in the hippocampus. In psychological investigations before the operation deep disturbances of verbal memory with unchanged (normal) level of mental efficiency were found. After stereotaxic treatment epileptic seizures disappeared completely, the patient completed a vocational school and started working. Follow up examinations during 6 years after the operation failed to demonstrate any decrease in mental efficiency. The impairment of verbal memory and learning ability was decreased significantly.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Frontotemporal dementia: An attempt at clinical characteristics.

The clinical recognition of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) depends on its differentiation from Alzheimer's disease (AD). From 212 patients primarily diagnosed as probable AD, 24 cases with mild dementia, absence of disturbances the presence of which would have prevented a full neuropsychological assessment, and brain CT with detailed visualization of hippocampus atrophy were chosen. On the basis of neuropsychological examination the patients were divided into two groups: 11 cases with predominant deficit in frontal system tasks (FTD group) and 13 cases with changes in cognitive functions typical of AD (AD group). Age at onset, duration, behavioral changes, psychotic symptoms, depression, speech disorders, neurologic deficit and hippocampal atrophy were analyzed in both groups. Statistically significant differences for behavioral disturbances and hippocampal atrophy were found. Early behavioral changes and lack of early hippocampal atrophy on CT may be useful features for differentiating between FTD and AD, especially when SPECT is not available.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Dynamics of blood flow velocity in middle cerebral arteries in dyslexic persons].

The aim of our study was to investigate the blood flow in middle cerebral arteries during the different forms of cognitive activity in dyslectic persons. Two group of subjects were tested. The first group consisted of 10 students with school difficulties, diagnosed neuropsychologically as having a particular form of dyslexia, i.e. dysgraphy or dysorthography. 6 of them were right lateralized and 4--left lateralized. The second contained 10 students without such problems. 7 of them were right lateralized and 3--left lateralized. We used four kinds of cognitive tasks, during which the blood flow velocity in MCA in left and right hemisphere was measured with the Transcranial Doppler method. The analysis of the results showed differences between the groups of blood flow velocity levels, without a difference in performance profile. The dysgraphic persons had significantly higher blood flow velocity in the right hemisphere compared to the reference group. The results suggest particularly important role of right hemisphere in dyslexic persons, which is consistent with results obtained by other authors. The analysis of lateralization showed that this factor influences significantly the blood flow velocity level--the left lateralized persons showed lower rise of blood flow velocity than the right lateralized, regardless of the kind of task and measured hemisphere.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Early signs of cognition disorders in children with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in initial stage].

The purpose of the study was to find some characteristic features of cortical defects in the neuropsychological examination of children with SSPE. These findings could be very useful in early differential diagnosis. We analysed the results of the neuropsychological assessment of 13 children selected from a group of 100 patients. The most frequent defects were found in the visuo-spatial functions. The clinical analysis of the obtained results was studied in view to establish, whether there are the signs of the dysfunction of the right or both cerebral hemispheres.

Adolescent↗