Dementia & Neuropsychologia

This review is based on a conference presented in June 2023. Its main objective is to explain the cognitive differences between humans and non-human primates (NHPs) focusing on characteristics of their brains. It is based on the opinion of a clinical neurologist and does not intend to go beyond an overview of this complex topic. As language is the main characteristic differentiating humans from NHPs, this review is targeted at their brain networks related to language. NHPs have rudimentary forms of language, including primitive lexical/semantic signs...

The purpose of this review is to highlight the most important aspects of the anatomical and functional uniqueness of the human brain. For this, a comparison is made between our brains and those of our closest ancestors (chimpanzees and bonobos) and human ancestors. During human evolution, several changes occurred in the brain, such as an absolute increase in brain size and number of cortical neurons, in addition to a greater degree of functional lateralization and anatomical asymmetry. Also, the cortical cytoarchitecture became more diversified and there was an increase in the number of intracortical networks and networks extending from the cerebral cortex to subcortical structures, with more neural networks being invested in multisensory and sensory-motor-affective-cognitive integration...

The second part of this review is an attempt to explain why only Homo sapiens developed language. It should be remarked that this review is based on the opinion of a clinical neurologist and does not intend to go beyond an overview of this complex topic. The progressive development of language was probably due to the expansion of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its networks. PFC is the largest area of the human cerebral cortex and is much more expanded in humans than in other primates. To achieve language, several other functions should have been attained, including abstraction, reasoning, expanded working memory, and executive functions...

UNLABELLED: The immediate early gene exhibits activation markers in the nervous system consisting of ARC, EGR-1, and c-Fos and is related to synaptic plasticity, especially in the hippocampus. Immediate early gene expression is affected by physical exercise, which induces direct ARC, EGR-1, and c-Fos expression. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of exercise, we conducted a literature study to determine the expression levels of immediate early genes (ARC, c-Fos, and EGR-1)...

This is the case report of a woman who started to write and read from right to left after anterior cerebral artery stroke, affecting the left supplementary motor area. No cases were found in the literature with exactly the same characteristics. She has been able to read and write faster after rehabilitation approach at Sarah Network of Rehabilitation Hospitals, in the Belo Horizonte city unit, Brazil, despite the maintenance of the inversion. She returned to her previous activities in an adaptive way. It was discussed how the dysfunction in this cerebral area and its connections may disturb the reading strategy and direction...

UNLABELLED: Dementia poses a significant societal and health challenge in the 21st century, with many hospitalized patients experiencing dementia without a documented diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of dementia and its associated risk factors among older patients admitted to hospitals. METHODS: The study included older patients (≥ 60 years) admitted to medical departments of a general hospital in three major Iranian cities...

UNLABELLED: Work and activity could be an important source of cognitive enrichment. Activities that are more challenging concerning the cognitive functions that are put into practice are associated with lower risk of cognitive decline in old age. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the impact of occupational complexity and household tasks in three cognitive domains (verbal episodic memory, language, and executive functions) in older adults residing within the community...

UNLABELLED: COVID-19 is a multisystem disease caused by the RNA virus (coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2) that can impact cognitive measures. OBJECTIVE: To identify the main cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in adults who had no cognitive complaints prior to the infection. Specifically, to observe the trajectory of cognitive and neuropsychiatric performance after 6 months. METHODS: This is a retrospective longitudinal study. Forty-nine patients (29 reassessed after 6 months), with a positive PCR test, with no prior cognitive complaints that only presented after the infection and without a history of structural, neurodegenerative or psychiatric neurological diseases...

UNLABELLED: The disability of cells to react to insulin, causing glucose intolerance and hyperglycemia, is referred to as insulin resistance. This clinical condition, which has been well-researched in organs such as adipose tissue, muscle, and liver, has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) when it occurs in the brain. OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to gather data from the current literature on brain insulin resistance (BIR) and its likely repercussions on neurodegenerative disorders, more specifically AD, through a systematic review...

Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to neurological symptoms in the acute phase and in the Long COVID phase. These symptoms usually involve cognition, sleep, smell disorders, psychiatric manifestations, headache and others. This condition is more commonly described in young adults and women. This symptomatology can follow severe or mild cases of the disease. The importance of this issue resides in the high prevalence of neurological symptoms in the Long COVID phase, which entails significant morbidity in this population...

UNLABELLED: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is expressed with neurobehavioral symptoms of different degrees of intensity. It is estimated that, for every three cases detected, there are two cases that reach adulthood without treatment. OBJECTIVE: To establish what challenges are still present in the implementation of early intervention (EI) and its effects on the prognosis of ASD. METHODS: A systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Prisma) methodology was carried out in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases in January 2023...

UNLABELLED: Frailty is defined as a recognizable state of increased vulnerability resulting from age-associated decline of function in various physiological systems, such that the ability to deal with acute or everyday stressors is compromised. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to characterize the sample of older adults with cognitive impairment, according to the frailty status indirectly assessed by family members, other clinical and sociodemographic variables; and to assess the overlap of clinical conditions evaluated in this sample with cognitive impairment...

UNLABELLED: Due to the increase in the population of the elderly, there is a growing trend in some diseases such as cognitive disorders (dementia) which are common in this era, and the diagnosis and treatment of this disease are still facing challenges. Therefore, early identification of cognitive disorders is of particular importance. In this regard, the use of any tool or cognitive tests may not be enough to diagnose dementia in the early stages and a special tool is needed. OBJECTIVE: The validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (P-TICS-M) in older adults living in the Iranian community for a comprehensive screening of mild cognitive impairment and dementia was investigated...

Neurodegenerative diseases pose significant challenges due to their impact on brain structure, function, and cognition. As life expectancy rises, the prevalence of these disorders is rapidly increasing, resulting in substantial personal, familial, and societal burdens. Efforts have been made to optimize the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, primarily focusing on clinical, cognitive, and imaging characterization. However, the emergence of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, specifically transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), offers unique functional insights and diagnostic potential...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

UNLABELLED: Caregivers of people living with dementia (PLwD) have a high burden degree that leads to health issues, including sleep. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the impacts of the caregiving burden on caregiver's sleep disturbances. METHODS: This systematic review involved a qualitative analysis of publications on Web of Science and Pubmed/Medline databases published between February 2018 and August 2022. RESULTS: A total of 27 studies were identified and analyzed...

The advancement of neuroimaging technology offers a pivotal reference for the early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a significant area of focus in contemporary cognitive function research. Structural MRI scans present visual and quantitative manifestations of alterations in brain tissue, whereas functional MRI scans depict the metabolic and functional state of brain tissues from diverse perspectives. As various magnetic resonance techniques possess both strengths and constraints, this review examines the methodologies and outcomes of multimodal magnetic resonance technology in MCI diagnosis, laying the groundwork for subsequent diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for MCI...

UNLABELLED: Cognitive deficits are highly prevalent following a stroke, with memory, attention, and psychomotor speed being among the most affected functions. Prior research indicates that cognitive rehabilitation for stroke patients yields substantial improvements in cognitive performance and concurrently exerts a positive influence on reducing depressive symptoms. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to provide a description and assessment of the influence of cognitive rehabilitation on the attentional performance and depressive symptoms of individuals diagnosed with stroke...

UNLABELLED: Due to the progressive need for care, older adults with dementia are at risk of becoming institutionalized. Caregivers of these patients are tasked with the challenge of controlling behavioral and psychological symptoms without sufficient knowledge and are therefore at greater risk of developing physical and mental health problems. In this context, psychoeducational interventions can help greatly toward improving caregiver well-being. OBJECTIVE: to investigate the prevalence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in aged residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs), to determine the prevalence of burden and common mental disorders in caregivers, and to assess the effects of a psychoeducational intervention...