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Dementia (London, England) Oct 2018The aim of this study was to assess in practice whether assistive technologies support and facilitate the work of a family caregiver or care staff, and whether these...
The aim of this study was to assess in practice whether assistive technologies support and facilitate the work of a family caregiver or care staff, and whether these technologies support the independence of a person with a memory disorder. A comprehensive set of supportive devices and alarm systems were experimentally tested in the care of five test subjects in an assisted living facility by eight nurses, and in the care of four test subjects in a home environment by three family caregivers and one care team. Questionnaires, diaries and logged data were used to evaluate the benefits of the devices. Simple aids and alarm systems that did not need much adjusting were considered most useful by caregivers and nurses, though multiple false alarms occurred during the test period. Technical connection problems, complex user interface, and inadequate sound quality were the primary factors reducing the utility of the tested devices. Further experimental research is needed to evaluate the utility of assistive technologies in different stages of a memory disorder.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Assisted Living Facilities; Caregivers; Consumer Behavior; Dementia; Family; Female; Home Care Services; Humans; Independent Living; Male; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Nurses; Reminder Systems; Self-Help Devices
PubMed: 27765896
DOI: 10.1177/1471301216674816 -
Duodecim; Laaketieteellinen... 2015Approximately two out of three persons affected with Alzheimer's disease are women. Estrogen is known to have positive effects on the levels of brain-derived mediators... (Review)
Review
Approximately two out of three persons affected with Alzheimer's disease are women. Estrogen is known to have positive effects on the levels of brain-derived mediators and circulation. Along with menopause, decreasing female sex hormone levels have been assumed to promote the development of memory disorders. It is possible that timing of the start of hormone replacement therapy exactly to the menopause could provide the best benefit in respect of memory and information processing. Prevention and treatment of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases along with regular exercise and a healthy diet are more important than hormone therapy in the prevention of memory disorders.
Topics: Aged; Cardiovascular Diseases; Estrogen Replacement Therapy; Exercise; Female; Humans; Memory Disorders; Menopause; Middle Aged; Risk Factors
PubMed: 26485943
DOI: No ID Found -
Nature Apr 1960
Topics: Hearing; Humans; Memory; Memory Disorders
PubMed: 13852839
DOI: 10.1038/186181b0 -
Clinical Rehabilitation Jul 2016To establish what aspects of group-based cognitive rehabilitation for memory problems are reported, and to develop a checklist for authors, which may to improve... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To establish what aspects of group-based cognitive rehabilitation for memory problems are reported, and to develop a checklist for authors, which may to improve reporting of these interventions in future studies.
DATA SOURCES
A systematic search was conducted on Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE and PsycINFO electronic databases (last search: 01/05/2015).
REVIEW METHODS
Articles were included if the sample were adults with a neurological disorder, the intervention was group-based cognitive rehabilitation for memory problems, and if the study was a randomised controlled trial. Articles were independently screened for inclusion and data extracted by two researchers, with the third researcher arbitrating any disputes.
RESULTS
Fourteen studies were included in this review. The reporting of certain aspects of an intervention was found to be poor, particularly in relation to: duration of the programme (6 of 14 studies did not report), the development of the intervention (7 of 14 studies did not discuss), and the content and structure of intervention (7 of the 14 studies did not provide details).
CONCLUSION
This review found that the overall reporting of memory rehabilitation content and format is poor. Refinement and adaption of pre-existing checklists to capture aspects of cognitive rehabilitation programmes may help authors when reporting complex interventions. A draft checklist is provided that could be refined and validated in further research.
Topics: Humans; Memory Disorders; Psychotherapy, Group
PubMed: 26229110
DOI: 10.1177/0269215515595273 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Feb 2006There is mounting evidence that declarative memory processes are impaired in patients with bipolar disorder. However, predictors of the observed impairment are not well...
BACKGROUND
There is mounting evidence that declarative memory processes are impaired in patients with bipolar disorder. However, predictors of the observed impairment are not well understood. This study seeks to: (i) better characterize the nature of declarative memory impairment in bipolar disorder, and (ii) determine the relationship between clinical variables and memory function in bipolar disorder.
METHODS
49 adult patients with bipolar disorder in varying mood states and 38 demographically matched healthy participants completed a comprehensive neurocognitive battery assessing general cognitive functioning, processing speed, and declarative memory. The California verbal learning test was used to characterize learning and memory functions.
RESULTS
Although patients with bipolar disorder utilized a similar semantic clustering strategy to healthy controls, they recalled and recognized significantly fewer words than controls, suggesting impaired encoding of verbal information. In contrast, lack of rapid forgetting suggests relative absence of a storage deficit in bipolar patients. While severity of mood symptomatology and illness duration were not associated with task performance, gender and family history significantly affected memory function.
CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that declarative memory impairments in bipolar patients: (1) are consistent with deficits in learning, but do not appear to be related to different organizational strategies during learning, and (2) do not appear to be secondary to clinical state, but rather may be associated with the underlying pathophysiology of the illness.
Topics: Adult; Bipolar Disorder; Brain Mapping; Female; Frontal Lobe; Genotype; Hippocampus; Humans; Male; Memory Disorders; Memory, Short-Term; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Reaction Time; Retention, Psychology; Sex Factors; Speech Perception; Temporal Lobe; Verbal Learning
PubMed: 16199055
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2005.08.006 -
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience Dec 2013Plasticity is found throughout the nervous system and is thought to underlie key aspects of development, learning and memory, and repair. Neuropiastic processes include... (Review)
Review
Plasticity is found throughout the nervous system and is thought to underlie key aspects of development, learning and memory, and repair. Neuropiastic processes include synaptic plasticity, cellular growth and remodeling, and neurogenesis. Dysregulation of these processes can contribute to a variety of neuropsychiatric diseases. In this review we explore three different ways in which dysregulation of neuropiastic and mnemonic processes can contribute to psychiatric illness. First, impairment of the mechanisms of plasticity can lead to cognitive deficits; this is most obvious in dementia and amnesia, but is also seen in more subtle forms in other conditions. We explore the relationship between stress, major depression, and impaired neuroplasticity in some detail. Second, enhanced memories can be pathogenic; we explore the example of post-traumatic stress disorder, in which intrusive trauma associated memories, accompanied by hyperactivity of the normal fear learning circuitry, are core aspects of the pathology. Third, impaired modulation of the relationship between parallel memory systems can contribute to maladaptive patterns of behavior; we explore the bias towards inflexible, habit-like behavior patterns in drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Together, these examples illustrate how different abnormalities in the mechanisms of neuroplasticity and memory formation can contribute to various forms of psychopathology. It is hoped that a growing understanding of these relationships, and of the fundamental mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity in the normal brain, will pave the way for new understandings of the mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disease and the development of novel treatment strategies.
Topics: Brain; Humans; Memory; Memory Disorders; Mental Disorders; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 24459412
DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2013.15.4/cpittenger -
Behaviour Research and Therapy Nov 2018Successful navigation within the autobiographical memory store is integral to daily cognition. Impairment in the flexibility of memory retrieval can thereby have a... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomised controlled trial of memory flexibility training (MemFlex) to enhance memory flexibility and reduce depressive symptomatology in individuals with major depressive disorder.
UNLABELLED
Successful navigation within the autobiographical memory store is integral to daily cognition. Impairment in the flexibility of memory retrieval can thereby have a detrimental impact on mental health. This randomised controlled phase II exploratory trial (N = 60) evaluated the potential of a novel intervention drawn from basic science - an autobiographical Memory Flexibility (MemFlex) training programme - which sought to ameliorate memory difficulties and improve symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. MemFlex was compared to Psychoeducation (an evidence-based low-intensity intervention) to determine the likely range of effects on a primary cognitive target of memory flexibility at post-intervention, and co-primary clinical targets of self-reported depressive symptoms and diagnostic status at three-month follow-up. These effect sizes could subsequently be used to estimate sample size for a fully-powered trial. Results demonstrated small-moderate, though as expected statistically non-significant, effect sizes in favour of MemFlex for memory flexibility (d = 0.34, p = .20), and loss of diagnosis (OR = 0.65, p = .48), along with the secondary outcome of depression-free days (d = 0.36, p = .18). A smaller effect size was observed for between-group difference in self-reported depressive symptoms (d = 0.24, p = .35). Effect sizes in favour of MemFlex in this early-stage trial suggest that fully-powered evaluation of MemFlex may be warranted as an avenue to improving low-intensity treatment of depression.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT02371291.
Topics: Adult; Depressive Disorder, Major; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Memory Disorders; Memory, Episodic; Single-Blind Method; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 30199738
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.08.008 -
AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology Jun 1990MR imaging of the brain, performed in 86 normal subjects and 113 patients with objective memory disorder or dementia, demonstrated white- and gray-matter areas of high...
MR imaging of the brain, performed in 86 normal subjects and 113 patients with objective memory disorder or dementia, demonstrated white- and gray-matter areas of high signal intensity on long TR images (short and long TE). Hyperintensities were analyzed with respect to size (on a scale of 0-3) and location: lesions were periventricular, subcortical, or cortical. The patients with memory disorder and dementia were categorized as having probable/possible Alzheimer disease, a combination of Alzheimer disease and multiinfarct cognitive disorder, or multiinfarct cognitive disorder alone on the basis of clinically determined Hachinski ischemic scores. Significant correlations were found between age and scores for periventricular lesions (r = .40, p less than .0005) and subcortical lesions (r = .39, p less than .0005) in normal subjects. Correlations were also found between the Hachinski ischemic score and scores for periventricular lesions (r = .21, p less than .01), subcortical lesions (r = .27, p less than .0002), and cortical lesions (r = .32, p less than .0005) in subjects with memory disorder/dementia. Comparing multiinfarct cognitive disorder, Alzheimer disease, and normal groups, the mean scores for periventricular lesions were 12.0 +/- 4.6, 7.6 +/- 4.8, and 3.4 +/- 2.6, while mean scores for subcortical lesions were 10.8 +/- 12.2, 4.1 +/- 6.4, and 0.8 +/- 1.2, respectively. Periventricular lesions were present in 99-100% of patients with Alzheimer disease and multiinfarct cognitive disorder. On the other hand, subcortical lesions, which were identified in 100% of patients with multiinfarct cognitive disorder, were present in only about half of the patients with Alzheimer disease. Thus, scores for both periventricular and subcortical lesions are positively correlated with age and risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and also are significantly increased in the presence of objective memory disorder or dementia. These results imply that in the subject groups considered here, elderly patients with vascular dementia are most likely to have severe white-matter abnormalities on MR scans. The score for subcortical lesions appears to be more helpful than the score for periventricular lesions in distinguishing vascular dementia from Alzheimer disease and normal aging, so that a patient with prominent subcortical white-matter abnormalities is more likely to have a diagnosis of vascular than degenerative dementia.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease; Brain; Dementia; Dementia, Multi-Infarct; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged
PubMed: 2110743
DOI: 10.2214/ajr.154.6.2110743 -
Depression and Anxiety Nov 2011Studies of the neurocognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use have been confounded by the presence of neurocognitive deficits characterizing the clinical... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Studies of the neurocognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use have been confounded by the presence of neurocognitive deficits characterizing the clinical conditions for which these medications are taken. Similarly, studies of the neurocognitive effects of anxiety disorders have been confounded by the inclusion of chronically benzodiazepine-medicated patients. This study was designed to tease apart the potentially confounding effects of long-term benzodiazepine use and panic disorder (PD) on memory and visuoconstructive abilities.
METHODS
Twenty chronically benzodiazepine-medicated and 20 benzodiazepine-free patients with PD with agoraphobia were compared with a group of 20 normal control participants, group-matched for age, education, and gender on a battery of neuropsychological tests assessing short-term, episodic long-term, and semantic memory, as well as visuoconstructive abilities.
RESULTS
Results indicated that benzodiazepine-free panic patients were relatively impaired in nonverbal short-term and nonverbal episodic long-term memory and visuoconstructive abilities, whereas verbal short-term and verbal episodic memory and semantic memory were preserved. Only limited evidence was found for more pronounced impairments in chronically benzodiazepine-medicated PD patients.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that patients with PD are characterized by relative impairments in nonverbal memory and visuoconstructive abilities, independent of benzodiazepine use. Nonetheless, we found evidence that chronic treatment with benzodiazepines is associated with intensification of select relative impairments in this realm. Documentation of these deficits raises questions about the broader etiology of neurocognitive impairment in PD as well as its impact on daily functioning.
Topics: Adult; Benzodiazepines; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Panic Disorder; Time Factors
PubMed: 22065537
DOI: 10.1002/da.20891 -
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics May 2020: Cognitive impairment is a common symptom of patients with Major Depression (MDD) with negative clinical and social effects. With this study we investigated the... (Review)
Review
: Cognitive impairment is a common symptom of patients with Major Depression (MDD) with negative clinical and social effects. With this study we investigated the question of whether MDD patients' effort to memorize items is reduced and whether this reduction is related to patients' memory impairment.: Twenty-two patients with MDD and 28 healthy control participants took part in the study. Both groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, and basic education. MDD was confirmed by the Mini Diagnostic Interview for Mental Disorders (Mini-DIPS). Willingness to make an effort was assessed by the Amsterdam Short-Term Memory Test (ASTM). Logical Memory (LM) from the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS IV) was used to assess verbal memory.: With respect to the willingness to make an effort, all MDD-patients performed above the cutoff and did not perform worse than healthy control participants. Depression appears to have a negative impact on recall and recognition of verbal information, but the effect on recall was larger.: These findings support studies indicating no motivational deficits in patients with depression during standardized neuropsychological testing. Reduced motivation is not a plausible explanation for depressive patients' cognitive deficits assessed with neuropsychological tests.
Topics: Cognitive Dysfunction; Depressive Disorder, Major; Humans; Memory Disorders
PubMed: 32293197
DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1754799