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Revue Neurologique 2017Memory complaints and deficits are common in patients with epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), where memory-related brain structures are directly involved... (Review)
Review
Memory complaints and deficits are common in patients with epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), where memory-related brain structures are directly involved in the epileptic process. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in delineating memory impairment in TLE, challenging the traditional neuropsychological approach of the disorder. In particular, several lines of evidence have suggested that, beyond the apparent deficit demonstrable by standardized neuropsychological evaluations, TLE may also negatively interact with long-term memory, producing considerable loss of information of the patient's autobiographical history and an inability to maintain newly acquired information over a period of time. These observations have led to the development of innovative assessment techniques, and prompted a new domain of investigation focused on the relationships between interictal epileptiform activities and the integrity of anatomo-functional systems. The present paper reviews the available evidence for long-term memory deficits in TLE with respect to remote and very long-term memory, and discusses their putative pathophysiological mechanisms and the developing potential strategies to improve memory functioning.
Topics: Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Humans; Memory Disorders; Memory, Episodic; Memory, Long-Term; Mental Recall; Time Factors
PubMed: 28838789
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2017.06.011 -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Oct 2022Yuanzhi Powder is a commonly used traditional Chinese medical formulae for its potency in enhancing memory and learning. In clinical practice, Yuanzhi Powder is a...
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Yuanzhi Powder is a commonly used traditional Chinese medical formulae for its potency in enhancing memory and learning. In clinical practice, Yuanzhi Powder is a classic formula in TCM to treat amnesia of the type "deficiency of Qi, turbid phlegm harasses the head and eyes, and stagnation of phlegm converting into the fire". Our previous study showed that Yuanzhi Power, used together with Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen Yuanzhi Power, DYP), could improve learning and memory ability in animals with memory disorder (MD) and its efficacy is superior or equivalent to that of the Yuanzhi Power.
AIM OF STUDY
This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of DYP through the "bacteria-gut-brain axis".
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The SD rats were divided randomly into control, model, positive, DYP-L, and DYP-H groups. Except for the control group, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with D-Gal (400 mg/kg) and gavaged with aluminum chloride (200 mg/kg) every day for 50 days. The rats in the DYP group were gavaged with DYP (6.67 and 13.34 g/kg, respectively) from the 15th day, once a day. The rats in the positive group were similarly administrated with piracetam (0.5 g/kg). The rats' bodyweight was recorded from the 16th day. The learning and memory ability of animals was tested by Morris water maze. The levels of MCP-1, NF-L, NSE, and TNF-α in serum were determined by Elisa kit, while the histopathology of duodenum and colon tissues was examined by H & E staining. The diversity of intestinal flora was sequenced and analyzed. In order to reveal the role of intestinal flora in DYP treatment of MD, the intestinal flora composition and the correlation analysis of intestinal flora and the above biochemical indexes were investigated. The intestinal flora function and biological metabolic pathways were predicted and analyzed by the KEGG database.
RESULTS
The MD animals' learning and spatial memory ability decreased significantly, compared with the normal group, accompanied by weight increase and intestinal flora disorder. DYP can improve the learning and memory ability of MD animals, and its efficacy may exert through the following ways: (i) callback the abnormal biochemical indexes of MCP-1, NF-L, NSE, and TNF-α; (ii) decreasing the relative ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and repairing the pathology of MD animal intestinal mucosa; and (iii) the regulation of DYP on biochemical blood indexes of MD animals was significantly correlated with the regulation of intestinal flora; (iv) DYP rats showed a strong correlation between cognitive ability improvement and bodyweight loss; (v) besides, DYP could also regulate the metabolic pathways of carbohydrate, amino acid, nucleotide, and energy by affecting related biological functions.
CONCLUSIONS
The results supported that DYP can improve MD animals' learning and memory ability by restoring the intestinal flora disorder and callback the abnormal biochemical indexes in serum, closely related to the "bacteria-gut-brain axis".
Topics: Animals; Codonopsis; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Memory Disorders; Powders; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 35640741
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115410 -
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience Sep 2023Patients with post-stroke memory disorder (PSMD) have poor quality of life and it is necessary to identify more beneficial stimulation protocols for treatment with... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Patients with post-stroke memory disorder (PSMD) have poor quality of life and it is necessary to identify more beneficial stimulation protocols for treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of rTMS for improving memory performance, global cognition, and activities of daily living (ADL) among patients with PSMD.
METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang databases were screened to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was memory performance; secondary outcomes included global cognition, ADL, and adverse events. STATA software was used to perform data synthesis.
RESULTS
Five articles with a total of 192 participants were included. The results indicated that rTMS was superior to control treatments for improving memory performance (mean difference [MD] = 1.73, 95% CI [Confidence Interval] [0.85, 2.60], 0.001), global cognition (MD = 2.44, 95% CI [0.96, 3.93], 0.001), and ADL (MD = 10.29, 95% CI [5.10, 15.48], 0.001). No significant differences were found between the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) rTMS subgroups ( 0.47, = 0.00%) or between the sham rTMS and non-rTMS subgroups ( 0.94, = 0.00%). Four studies did not reported adverse events.
CONCLUSIONS
rTMS may improve memory function, global cognition, and the ability to perform ADL in patients with PSMD. LF-rTMS and HF-rTMS may have equal efficacy for treatment of PSMD. Future studies should consider extending the follow-up period to explore the safety and long-term efficacy of rTMS for treatment of PSMD and the appropriate choice of placebo for clinical trials of this treatment.
Topics: Humans; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Activities of Daily Living; Quality of Life; Memory Disorders; Memory; Stroke
PubMed: 37735134
DOI: 10.31083/j.jin2205131 -
Autism Research : Official Journal of... Jan 2016Research into memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suggests intact item memory but difficulties in forming relations between items (Bowler, Gaigg, & Lind, 2011). In...
Research into memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suggests intact item memory but difficulties in forming relations between items (Bowler, Gaigg, & Lind, 2011). In this study, we tested memory for items as well as for sequential, spatial, and associative relations between items with the same paradigm using abstract shapes in ASD and typically developing (TD) individuals. Participants studied shape triplets on a computer screen and memory was subsequently tested either for the individual items making up the triplets, the screen-locations, the order or the combinations of items presented at study. Contrary to our predictions, performance was significantly lower in the ASD group on all four tasks. The result raises questions about how intact item memory is in ASD, which role task complexity plays, and how item-specific versus relational processing affect task performance. One possibility is that TD individuals relied more on relational processing in the current study and might have therefore had an advantage over ASD individuals. This idea is supported by the result of a preliminary analysis of age-related differences in memory across the midadult lifespan in both groups. Age seems to affect order memory less in ASD compared with TD individuals where it leads to a significant decrease in performance. This might indicate a decrease in relational processing in TD but not ASD individuals with increasing age. More research is needed to answer questions about the change in cognition in ASD individuals across the lifespan.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Young Adult
PubMed: 25952759
DOI: 10.1002/aur.1493 -
Current Neurology and Neuroscience... Jun 2021This review traces amnesia's history from its earliest eighteenth century classification as a medical disorder to the present. Sophisticated depictions in the nineteenth... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review traces amnesia's history from its earliest eighteenth century classification as a medical disorder to the present. Sophisticated depictions in the nineteenth century literature containing elaborate compilations of causal factors, including neurologic, consider pathogenesis, course, duration, durability, and temporal features.
RECENT FINDINGS
Severe amnesia, especially anterograde involving new learning, found archetypal expression in the twentieth century, in the case of H.M. The "pure" amnesia confirmed an independent memory disorder distinct from other cognitive disturbances, with functional dissociations illustrating nuanced manifestations and highlighting the role of some discovered structural correlates (e.g., hippocampal and associated MTL regions). Moreover, neural networks and interconnections have also notably been implicated. Although concepts of illness change across cultures and centuries, portrayal of amnesia remained consistent as it spread internationally. Amnesia's groundbreaking original nosology laid a foundation for contemporary paradigms of the multifactorial nature, specificity, and complexity of a poignantly thought-provoking disorder.
Topics: Amnesia; Cognitive Dysfunction; Hippocampus; Humans; Memory Disorders
PubMed: 34110519
DOI: 10.1007/s11910-021-01126-x -
Military Medicine Feb 2013The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has reached epidemic proportions among U.S. veterans, many of whom also have concurrent alcohol use disorder.... (Review)
Review
The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has reached epidemic proportions among U.S. veterans, many of whom also have concurrent alcohol use disorder. This case report describes improvements in PTSD symptom severity and memory dysfunction in a combat-exposed veteran with persistent PTSD and alcohol use disorder following two treatments of stellate ganglion block (SGB). PTSD severity was measured using the PTSD Checklist, Military Version. Memory function was evaluated using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. One month after the first SGB, a 43.6% reduction in PTSD severity was observed along with increases in immediate memory (50%), recent memory (28%), and recognition memory (25%). Following a second SGB, PTSD severity decreased by 57.7% and memory function substantially improved, with pronounced changes in immediate memory (50%), recent memory (58%), and recognition memory (36%). One year after SGB treatments, the patient has stopped drinking alcohol, continues to have sustained relief from PTSD, has improved memory function, and has become gainfully employed. Future studies that employ robust epidemiologic methodologies are needed to generate confirmatory evidence that would substantiate SGB's clinical utility as an adjunctive treatment option for PTSD.
Topics: Adult; Autonomic Nerve Block; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders; Military Personnel; Recovery of Function; Stellate Ganglion; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 23764335
DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00290 -
Revue Neurologique 1998Memory impairment in ageing is clearly different from Alzheimer's disease. Many papers dealed with the modifications of the different cognitive sections of memory at... (Review)
Review
Memory impairment in ageing is clearly different from Alzheimer's disease. Many papers dealed with the modifications of the different cognitive sections of memory at different stages of Alzheimer's progression: the early involvement of working and episodic memories, those later of semantic and retrograde memories and the lasting saving of implicit memory must be know by clinicians to better understand the target of symptomatic therapy and to differentiate Alzheimer from others degenerative dementias. Above all, these progress authorize an early diagnostic of "possible Alzheimer" at a pre-dementia stage facing to isolated memory complaint. The amnesic profile of others dementias is different and the qualitative approach of testing become essential for the categorization of dementias at early stages with an isolated progressive memory disorder.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Dementia; Humans; Memory; Memory Disorders
PubMed: 9834543
DOI: No ID Found -
Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology :... Mar 2022Hippocampal volumetric data are widely used in research but are rarely examined in clinical populations in regard to aiding diagnosis or correlating with objective...
BACKGROUND
Hippocampal volumetric data are widely used in research but are rarely examined in clinical populations in regard to aiding diagnosis or correlating with objective memory test scores.
OBJECTIVE
To replicate and expand on the few prior clinical examinations of the utility of hippocampal volumetric data. We evaluated MRI volumetric data to determine (a) the degree of hippocampal loss across diagnostic groups compared with a cognitively intact group, (b) if total or lateralized hippocampal volumes predict diagnostic group membership, and (c) how total and lateralized volumes correlate with memory tests.
METHOD
We retrospectively examined hippocampal volumetric data and memory test scores for 294 individuals referred to a memory clinic.
RESULTS
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer disease had smaller hippocampal volumes compared with cognitively intact individuals. The raw and normalized total and lateralized hippocampal volumes were essentially equal for predicting diagnostic group membership, and notably low hippocampal volumes evidenced greater specificity than sensitivity. All of the volumetric data correlated with the memory test scores, with the total and left hippocampal volumes accounting for the slightly more variance in the diagnostic groups.
CONCLUSION
The diagnostic groups exhibited hippocampal volume loss, which can be a potential biomarker for neurodegenerative disease in clinical practice. However, solely using hippocampal volumetric data to predict diagnostic group membership or memory test failure was not supported. While extreme hippocampal volume loss was rare in the cognitively intact group, the sensitivity of these volumetric data suggests a need for supplementation by other tools when making a diagnosis.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Hippocampus; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Memory Disorders; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neuropsychological Tests; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35239600
DOI: 10.1097/WNN.0000000000000295 -
Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 2015Many psychiatric disorders are characterized by intrusive, distracting, and disturbing memories that either perpetuate the illness or hinder successful treatment. For... (Review)
Review
Many psychiatric disorders are characterized by intrusive, distracting, and disturbing memories that either perpetuate the illness or hinder successful treatment. For example, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves such strong reemergence of memories associated with a traumatic event that the individual feels like the event is happening again. Furthermore, drug addiction is characterized by compulsive use and repeated relapse that is often driven by internal memories of drug use and/or by exposure to external stimuli that were associated with drug use. Therefore, identifying pharmacological methods to weaken the strength of maladaptive memories is a major goal of research efforts aimed at finding new treatments for these disorders. The primary mechanism by which memories could be pharmacologically disrupted or altered is through manipulation of memory reconsolidation. Reconsolidation occurs when an established memory is remembered or reactivated, reentering a labile state before again being consolidated into long-term memory storage. Memories are subject to disruption during this labile state. In this chapter we will discuss the preclinical and clinical studies identifying potential pharmacological methods for disrupting the integrity of maladaptive memory to treat mental illness.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Central Nervous System Agents; Humans; Memory; Memory Disorders; Mental Disorders; Signal Transduction; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 25977090
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-16522-6_13 -
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease... Dec 2014Previous research shows that informal caregivers of individuals with a memory disorder experience financial strain, declining physical health, and psychological...
BACKGROUND
Previous research shows that informal caregivers of individuals with a memory disorder experience financial strain, declining physical health, and psychological distress. Various resources and services have been developed to address and/or prevent these potential outcomes, yet caregivers continue to be negatively affected by the demands of caregiving. We hypothesize that better identification and clarification of concrete patient and caregiver needs will aid in the modification and improvement of the available resources. The purpose of this study is to determine the psychosocial needs of the cognitively impaired population and their caregivers.
METHODS
A one-page Needs Assessment was created to address areas of potential concern for the individual with a memory disorder and the caregiver. This assessment was administered during visits to an outpatient clinic in Philadelphia.
RESULTS
A total of 204 Needs Assessments were collected. The significant needs found in our study cohort include sleep, exercise, clinical trials, education, and assistance with ADLs and IADLs.
CONCLUSIONS
This study satisfied the initial identification of caregiver and patient needs; now each must be explored further to determine how to successfully meet such needs. If the primary needs of the patient can be met by a focused service, the caregiver will no longer be the sole provider of meeting the specific need. This will decrease the involved role of the caregiver, maximize patient homecare, minimize caregiver stress, and increase the quality of life for both the patient and caregiver.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease; Caregivers; Clinical Trials as Topic; Cohort Studies; Dementia; Exercise; Female; Humans; Male; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Needs Assessment; Patient Education as Topic; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep
PubMed: 24851872
DOI: 10.1177/1533317514534952