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Biomedical subjects

M Fisman

Publications and source records attributed to M Fisman.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The dissolution of language in Alzheimer's disease.

Language impairment in Alzheimer's disease has become an important clinical issue. It has been recognized for some time that the disease may begin with aphasia and even before frank aphasia develops, some of the earliest changes in a large number of individuals consist of impairment of word fluency and semantic access manifesting itself in word finding difficulty. The second major issue concerning language in Alzheimer's disease is that the cases which have early severe language impairment may represent a more progressive familial variety of disease as it has been suggested in the literature. This is still subject to controversy. Finally, it will be documented that the later stage of the disease shows language invariably impaired and goes through stages of dissolution that resemble anomic, transcortical sensory. Wernicke's and global aphasias. Accurate assessment of language may turn out to be one of the most reliable predictors of the stages of Alzheimer's disease and provides important insights into the cerebral organization of language, semantic access, relationship of semantic and episodic memory and the pathophysiology of the disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1986

Cell loss from the nucleus basalis of Meynert in Alzheimer's disease.

We examined the degree of neuronal loss from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) in two groups of Alzheimer patients differing in the degree of intellectual impairment. Significant cell loss from the nbM was found only in the more severely demented group of patients. Mean cell counts (per 10 mu paraffin section) were compiled separately for the anterior, intermediate and posterior subdivisions of the human nbM in three groups of subjects: Group 1 (N = 4) was severely demented and was untestable on the Extended Scale for Dementia (ESD) for at least the last two years of life; Group 2 (N = 4) was less demented and had completed at least one ESD test within 12 months of death; Group 3 (five controls) had died of non-neurological causes. In Group 2 there was a small (but insignificant) trend toward cell loss in the anterior subdivision, and a normal complement of neurons in both the intermediate and posterior subdivisions. There was, however, significant cell loss from all subdivisions of Group 1. How these cell counts may relate to the severity of the dementia is discussed.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1986

Investigation of the polymorphic region in the 5' flanking region of the insulin gene in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

A potential relationship between Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and insulin gene expression was suggested by the observation that patients with AD have altered levels of fasting blood sugar and insulin. Since polymorphisms in the region 5' to the insulin gene have been associated with blood glucose levels, we have studied this polymorphism in AD patients. Subjects were 19 nondiabetic AD patients with symptoms of aphasia and apraxia and a family history of AD; and 20 age and sex-matched nondiabetic controls without family history of AD. The 5' polymorphic region of the insulin gene was analyzed by restriction enzyme digestion of DNA extracted from whole venous blood. We did not observe a correlation between the size of the 5' polymorphic region and AD.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1985

A new definition of Alzheimer's disease: a hippocampal dementia.

Preliminary data support the hypothesis that the decline of all higher cognitive functions in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type is attributable to histopathological changes in the hippocampal formation, with or without neocortical neuronal lesions. Previous literature amply supports the critical role of this "locus minoris resistentiae" in memory processing and cognitive physiology. New observations include quantitative morphometric evaluations of the hippocampal formation from a longitudinal study of prospectively tested patients and histological and neurochemical data from patients with a clinical presentation consistent with typical Alzheimer's disease, in whom the only neuropathological abnormality was devastating nerve cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampi.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Pseudodementia.

The term pseudodementia is applied to the range of functional psychiatric conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and hysteria that may mimic organic dementia, but are essentially reversible on treatment. Depression is the commonest cause of pseudodementia in the elderly and is also the commonest treatable condition misdiagnosed as dementia. Diagnosis and management of depressive pseudodementia are discussed, and the systematic and thorough treatment of the depression is emphasized. Issues such as the diagnosis of early dementia, mental stress in the elderly resulting in confusion, patients with nonprogressive intellectual or neurological deficits, patients with a diagnosis of mixed depression and dementia, and depression as a precursor of dementia are all briefly considered.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1985

Correlative studies in Alzheimer's disease.

An approach is described for establishing and maintaining a correlative study of Alzheimer's Disease. A sample of the findings by the University of Western Ontario (U.W.O.) Dementia Study Group is provided.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Hyperammonemia in Alzheimer's disease.

Postprandial blood ammonia levels were significantly higher in 22 patients with Alzheimer's disease than in 37 control subjects. In the Alzheimer group, fasting blood ammonia levels were significantly higher in patients whose EEGs showed triphasic waves than in patients without this change. The direction of change from fasting to postprandial blood ammonia levels was also significantly different between these two groups.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Double-blind trial of 2-dimethylaminoethanol in Alzheimer's disease.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 2-dimethylaminoethanol was undertaken in 27 patients with moderately severe or severe Alzheimer's disease. Of 13 patients in the drug group, 6 were withdrawn in the first 5 weeks of the trial because of side effects, which included drowsiness and retardation, with an increase of confusion and mild elevation of blood pressure. No significant benefit appeared from the drug treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

Superior olivary complex in psychotic patients.

A study of the neuropathology of the superior olivary nucleus and its relationship to schizophrenia or auditory hallucinations was undertaken. No relationship was found to exist between them, but atrophy of the superior olivary nucleus was found in all the patients who had presented with seizures during life. The aetiology of superior olivary atrophy is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

The brain stem in psychosis.

The brain stems of 24 mental hospital patients and 10 control patients were examined. Ten mental hospital patients were either deluded or auditorily hallucinated in clear consciousness, and of this group 8 presented with a diagnosis of schizophrenic syndrome. The nature and significance of lesions found in the midline reticular nuclei and the trigeminal n. are discussed. The results, and the dearth of other published material on this subject, indicate the need for further work in this field.

Aging↗