RESUMO
Although numerous studies have shown that each neuropsychological test is effective for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD), studies comparing diagnostic accuracies of various neuropsychological tests are relatively rare and practical cutoff values are not available. The present study aimed to investigate the validity of neuropsychological tests and develop cutoff values for each in differentiating healthy control (HC), MCI and AD groups. A total of 84 HC, 187 with MCI and 195 with AD were evaluated by the selected seven neuropsychological tests using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Logical Memory (LM) delayed recall (cutoff, 7) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) delayed recall (cutoff, 6) were effective for differentiating HC from MCI. To distinguish MCI and AD, Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT) 3 mindelayed recall (cutoff, 6) and LM immediate recall (cutoff, 4) were excellent. Delayed recall of verbal materials, as indexed by LM and RAVLT was sensitive for discriminating MCI from HC. Handling visual memory traces, as indexed by ROCFT and immediate verbal information by LM were sensitive for differentiating MCI and AD.
Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Demência , Testes NeuropsicológicosRESUMO
Background: Brain metabolism depends largely on oxygen and therefore constant delivery of oxygen to the brain is more important than to any other organ. Previously we reported a newly developed method to automatically calculate red blood cell (RBC) flow and its temporal modulations at the layer 1 of the rat cerebral cortex. Objective: To examine a general tendency of frame-rate dependency of RBC velocities and heterogeneity of RBC movements in single capillaries identified by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran staining. Methods: In urethane-anesthetized rats with a closed cranial window, intravenously administered FITC-labeled RBCs were traced at 125, 250 or 500 frames/s (fps) with a laser-scanning confocal fluorescence microscope and their velocities were automatically calculated with home-made software KEIO-IS2. Results: RBC velocities in single capillaries were not constant but variable, and were dependent on frame rate, with average values of 0.85 ± 0.43 mm/s at 125 fps, 1.34 ± 0.73 mm/s at 250 fps, and 2.05¬1.59 mm/s at 500 fps. When all capillary RBCs were plotted against their velocities (frequency distribution function of RBC velocities), RBC velocities were clustered at around 1.0 mm/s, smearing at higher velocities up to 9.4 mm/s. High RBC velocity was only detected from frame analysis with high frame rates since such high-flow RBCs were uncounted at low frame rates. RBC velocities higher than 6.5 mm/s were statistically significantly outlined from the main population (p \< 0.01). Such a group of capillaries was considered to belong to thoroughfare channels, although their diameter was almost the same as that of ordinary ones. Conclusion: Extra-high flow capillaries are confirmed in the cerebral cortex and these may be thoroughfare channels or non-nutritional capillaries carrying 42% of the blood in reserve.
RESUMO
Although migraine is not life-threatened disease, its burden in migraineurs is enough severe to affect the productivity in the society around them. Triptans, the most effective agents for the pain in the migraine attacks, have been available since 2000 in Japan. After then, the strategy for migraine treatment has been drastically changed. It has also affected the concept for migraine pathogenesis. Migraine has been attributed to certain abnormality in the cerebral blood vessels per se. However, the trigeminal nerve endings around cerebral or dural vessels are considered to play the key role in the migraine attacks since appearance of the triptans (i.e., trigeminovascular theory). Moreover, recent researches imply many possibilities of the 'migraine generator(s)'in the central nervous system.