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Nature Reviews. Neurology May 2022Alzheimer disease and related dementias present considerable challenges to health-care and medical systems worldwide. In the USA, older Black and Latino individuals are... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer disease and related dementias present considerable challenges to health-care and medical systems worldwide. In the USA, older Black and Latino individuals are more likely than older white individuals to have Alzheimer disease and related dementias. In this Perspective, we leverage our experience and expertise with older US Latino groups to review and discuss the need to integrate cultural factors into dementia research and care. We examine the importance of considering the effects of cultural factors on clinical presentation and diagnosis, dementia risk, clinical research and recruitment, and caregiving practices, with a focus on minoritized groups in the USA. We highlight critical gaps in the literature to stimulate future research aimed at improving the prevention and early detection of Alzheimer disease and related dementias and developing novel treatments and interventions across ethnoracially diverse populations. In addition, we briefly discuss some of our own initiatives to promote research and clinical care among Latino populations living in the USA.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Hispanic or Latino; Humans
PubMed: 35260817
DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00630-z -
Journal of Nutritional Science 2022The classical deficiency diseases have nearly disappeared from the industrialised world and are thought to be found largely in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More... (Review)
Review
The classical deficiency diseases have nearly disappeared from the industrialised world and are thought to be found largely in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More than 80 collected medical articles, mostly from Europe and North America, describe more than 9000 people with low concentrations of copper in organs or tissues or impaired metabolic pathways dependent on copper. More than a dozen articles reveal improved anatomy, chemistry or physiology in more than 1000 patients from supplements containing copper. These criteria are diagnostic of deficiency according to The Oxford Textbook of Medicine. Alzheimer's disease, ischaemic heart disease and osteoporosis receive major emphasis here. However, impaired vision, myelodysplastic syndrome and peripheral neuropathy are mentioned. Copper deficiency probably causes some common, contemporaneous diseases. Advice is provided about opportunities for research. Seemingly authoritative statements concerning the rarity of nutritional deficiency in developed countries are wrong.
Topics: Humans; Copper; Dietary Supplements; Europe; Alzheimer Disease
PubMed: 36304823
DOI: 10.1017/jns.2022.83 -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2022Impaired awareness of ability is common in dementia and has important clinical implications. Evidence from different clinical groups has shown that awareness can vary...
BACKGROUND
Impaired awareness of ability is common in dementia and has important clinical implications. Evidence from different clinical groups has shown that awareness can vary according to whether evaluation refers to self or other performance.
OBJECTIVE
The present study aimed to investigate awareness for self- and other-performance in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, exploring if results vary according to cognitive domain of the tasks. It was hypothesized that, particularly for memory tasks, AD patients would be inaccurate in relation to self-but not other-performance.
METHODS
Twenty-two mild to moderate AD patients and twenty-two healthy older adults participated. Two tasks, with reaction time and working memory tasks, were carried out, and each had a success and a failure condition. Participants were asked to estimate their own performance, as well as the performance of another person they observed. Awareness of performance was measured comparing participant estimations of performance with actual performance.
RESULTS
For both the reaction time and working memory tasks, results indicate that participants from both groups overestimated the performance in the failure condition and underestimated the performance in the success condition. They tended to overestimate more the performance of the other person compared to themselves. Additionally, for the working memory task, AD patients tended to overestimate more performances compared to controls.
CONCLUSION
Findings suggest that the AD and control groups present the same pattern, with attribution of better performance to another person. For the AD group, the pattern of response was different for memory tasks, which may suggest domain-specific limited awareness.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Neuropsychological Tests; Awareness; Reaction Time
PubMed: 36093698
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-220453 -
Genes Jul 2022Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and represents the leading cause of cognitive impairment and dementia in older individuals... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and represents the leading cause of cognitive impairment and dementia in older individuals throughout the world. The main hallmarks of AD include brain atrophy, extracellular deposition of insoluble amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, and the intracellular aggregation of protein tau in neurofibrillary tangles. These pathological modifications start many years prior to clinical manifestations of disease and the of AD progresses along a from preclinical to clinical phases. Therefore, identifying specific biomarkers for detecting AD at early stages greatly improves clinical management. However, stable and non-invasive biomarkers are not currently available for the early detection of the disease. In the search for more reliable biomarkers, epigenetic mechanisms, able to mediate the interaction between the genome and the environment, are emerging as important players in AD pathogenesis. Herein, we discuss altered epigenetic signatures in blood as potential peripheral biomarkers for the early detection of AD in order to help diagnosis and improve therapy.
Topics: Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Biomarkers; Early Diagnosis; Epigenesis, Genetic; Humans
PubMed: 35893045
DOI: 10.3390/genes13081308 -
Experimental Neurology Feb 2023Chronic pain, one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care, has been linked to restrictions in mobility and daily activities, dependence on opioids, anxiety,... (Review)
Review
Chronic pain, one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care, has been linked to restrictions in mobility and daily activities, dependence on opioids, anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and reduced quality of life. Alzheimer's disease (AD), a devastating neurodegenerative disorder (characterized by a progressive impairment of cognitive functions) in the elderly, is often co-morbid with chronic pain. AD is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders in the aged population. The reported prevalence of chronic pain is 45.8% of the 50 million people with AD. As the population ages, the number of older people who experience AD and chronic pain will also increase. The current treatment options for chronic pain are limited, often ineffective, and have associated side effects. This review summarizes the role of the endocannabinoid system in pain, its potential role in chronic pain in AD, and addresses gaps and future directions.
Topics: Aged; Adult; Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Chronic Pain; Endocannabinoids; Quality of Life; Analgesics, Opioid
PubMed: 36455638
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114287 -
Chinese Medical Journal Sep 2021Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia characterized by the progressive cognitive and social decline. Clinical drug targets have heavily focused on... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia characterized by the progressive cognitive and social decline. Clinical drug targets have heavily focused on the amyloid hypothesis, with amyloid beta (Aβ), and tau proteins as key pathophysiologic markers of AD. However, no effective treatment has been developed so far, which prompts researchers to focus on other aspects of AD beyond Aβ, and tau proteins. Additionally, there is a mounting epidemiologic evidence that various environmental factors influence the development of dementia and that dementia etiology is likely heterogenous. In the past decades, new risk factors or potential etiologies have been widely studied. Here, we review several novel epidemiologic and clinical research developments that focus on sleep, hypoxia, diet, gut microbiota, and hearing impairment and their links to AD published in recent years. At the frontiers of AD research, these findings and updates could be worthy of further attention.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Humans; Risk Factors; tau Proteins
PubMed: 34507318
DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000001706 -
Translational Neurodegeneration Jan 2024Ageing is a crucial risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is characterised by systemic changes in both intracellular and extracellular microenvironments that... (Review)
Review
Ageing is a crucial risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is characterised by systemic changes in both intracellular and extracellular microenvironments that affect the entire body instead of a single organ. Understanding the specific mechanisms underlying the role of ageing in disease development can facilitate the treatment of ageing-related diseases, such as AD. Signs of brain ageing have been observed in both AD patients and animal models. Alleviating the pathological changes caused by brain ageing can dramatically ameliorate the amyloid beta- and tau-induced neuropathological and memory impairments, indicating that ageing plays a crucial role in the pathophysiological process of AD. In this review, we summarize the impact of several age-related factors on AD and propose that preventing pathological changes caused by brain ageing is a promising strategy for improving cognitive health.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Aging; Brain; Memory Disorders
PubMed: 38254235
DOI: 10.1186/s40035-024-00397-x -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2020As the most common form of senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by a great deal of uncertainty which can lead to fear and stigma for those identified... (Review)
Review
As the most common form of senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by a great deal of uncertainty which can lead to fear and stigma for those identified with this devastating disease. As the AD definition evolves from a syndromal to a biological construct, and early diagnoses becomes more commonplace, more confusion and stigma may result. We conducted a narrative review of the literature on AD stigma to consolidate information on this body of research. From the perspective of several stigma theories, we identified relevant studies to inform our understanding of the way in which implementation of the new framework for a biological based AD diagnosis may have resulted in new and emerging stigma. Herein, we discuss the emergence of new AD stigma as our understanding of the definition of the disease changes. We further propose recommendations for future research to reduce the stigma associated with AD.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Caregiver Burden; Cost of Illness; Early Diagnosis; Humans; Social Stigma
PubMed: 33044185
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-200932 -
Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban =... Mar 2022Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. In an aging society, the high prevalence of AD and the low quality of life of AD patients create serious... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. In an aging society, the high prevalence of AD and the low quality of life of AD patients create serious problems for individuals, families and the society. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of AD are still not fully understood. Age, genetics, environment and other factors are all relevant to AD, and treatment has not achieved satisfactory results. Recent studies have found that oral dysbiosis is closely related to the pathogenesis of AD, and that oral bacterial infection may be one of the causes of AD. Oral cavity is the largest microbial ecosystem of human body, and its homeostasis is critical to health. Bacterial infections caused by oral dysbiosis can directly and indirectly induce the metabolic imbalance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in the brain and the hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein. Then, the precipitation forms senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) that damage neurons. Based on the latest research findings, we herein discussed the correlation between oral microbiota and the pathogenesis of AD and the mechanisms involved, as well as the pathogenic mechanism of main oral bacteria. In addition, we explored the potential application prospects of oral microbiota-targeted therapy.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Humans; Microbiota; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Quality of Life
PubMed: 35332717
DOI: 10.12182/20220360304 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Sep 2019This article is part of a themed section on Therapeutics for Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: New Directions for Precision Medicine. To view the other articles in this...
This article is part of a themed section on Therapeutics for Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: New Directions for Precision Medicine. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.18/issuetoc.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Dementia; Humans; Precision Medicine
PubMed: 31468515
DOI: 10.1111/bph.14767