[The effects of moderate physical exercise on cognition in adults over 60 years of age]. / Efectos del ejercicio fisico moderado sobre la cognicion en adultos mayores de 60 años.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical evidence gathered in recent years indicates that elderly individuals more frequently display cognitive changes. These age-related changes refer, above all, to memory functions and to the speed of thinking and reasoning. A number of studies have shown that physical activity can be used as an important mechanism for protecting the cognitive functions. AIM: To test the hypothesis that physical exercise is able to bring about changes in the cognitive functions of healthy elderly adults without cognitive impairment, thereby improving their quality of life. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study population included participants in the University of Salamanca geriatric revitalisation programme. The sample initially consisted of a total of 44 subjects of both sexes, with a mean age of 74.93 years. The neuropsychological evaluation of the subjects included a series of validated neuropsychological tests: Mini-Mental State Examination, Benton Visual Retention Test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Stroop Test and Trail Making Test. RESULTS: The results show that more physical activity is related to better performance in the cognitive functions of the subjects included in this study, after applying the geriatric revitalisation programme. CONCLUSIONS: The geriatric revitalisation programme can be a valuable tool for improving cognition in adults over 60 years of age, resulting in enhanced well-being in their quality of life.

TITLE: Efectos del ejercicio fisico moderado sobre la cognicion en adultos mayores de 60 años.Introduccion. La evidencia clinica a lo largo de estos años indica que los individuos ancianos muestran con mayor frecuencia diversos cambios cognitivos. Estos cambios asociados a la edad se refieren sobre todo a las funciones mnesicas y a la rapidez de pensamiento y razonamiento. Numerosos estudios han demostrado que la actividad fisica puede establecerse como un mecanismo importante para la proteccion de las funciones cognitivas. Objetivo. Contrastar la hipotesis de que el ejercicio fisico es capaz de producir cambios en las funciones cognitivas de adultos mayores sanos sin deterioro cognitivo, mejorando su calidad de vida. Sujetos y metodos. La poblacion de estudio fue tomada de los participantes en el programa de revitalizacion geriatrica de la Universidad de Salamanca. La muestra estaba formada en un principio por un total de 44 sujetos de ambos sexos, con una edad media de 74,93 años. Para la valoracion neuropsicologica de los sujetos se incluyo una serie de pruebas neuropsicologicas validadas: examen cognitivo minimental, test de retencion visual de Benton, aprendizaje audioverbal de Rey, test de Stroop y test del trazo. Resultados. Los resultados indican que una mayor actividad fisica se relaciona con un mejor rendimiento en las funciones cognitivas de los sujetos incluidos en este estudio, tras la aplicacion del programa de revitalizacion geriatrica. Conclusiones. El programa de revitalizacion geriatrica puede ser una herramienta util de cara a la mejoria sobre la cognicion en adultos mayores de 60 años, logrando un mejor bienestar en su calidad de vida.

[A review of the construct of mild cognitive impairment: general aspects]. / Revision del constructo deterioro cognitivo leve: aspectos generales.

INTRODUCTION: The term 'mild cognitive impairment' (MCI) indicates an initial state in the process of developing dementia which is considered by some to be an early stage of dementia -especially of the Alzheimer type- while others see it as an independent condition. It is therefore necessary and important to reach a suitable diagnosis, by means of reliable and sensitive instruments and techniques, which make it possible to discriminate between subjects undergoing normal ageing and those with pathological ageing. DEVELOPMENT AND CONCLUSIONS: The aim of this work is to offer a general overview of this construct. First of all the term and its meaning are put into a historical context. The article also describes its subtypes and the diagnostic criteria employed and defined by Petersen -which are considered to be the most widely used- as well as those of other authors. To do so, the epidemiological data (incidence/prevalence) that have appeared in different studies are cited and the main (biological, psychological, behavioural and neuropsychological) markers of the progression of MCI towards dementia are outlined. In the following subsection, the process used to evaluate MCI is shown. The steps or stages that must be followed in order to perform a suitable diagnosis of this condition are also described. The article ends with some final considerations, where the most significant facts from this review are discussed.

[Neuropsychologic performance and depressed mood in sporadic late onset Alzheimer disease]. / Rendimiento neuropsicologico y sintomatologia depresiva en la demencia tipo alzheimer de inicio tardio esporadica.

INTRODUCTION: Some studies suggest that the concomitance of dementia and depression can increase the patient's functional inability, being able to exacerbate cognitive deficits associated to the neurodegenerative process. However, at the moment there is not agreement in the literature about if depression contributes to increase the neuropsychologic impairment associated to Alzheimer disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present paper was to study whether the presence of symptoms of depression affects the neuropsychologic performance of patients with sporadic late onset Alzheimer disease (SLOAD) in tasks of attention/concentration, memory, language, construction and visuospatial functions, speed of motor performance, concept formation and reasoning. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In order to carry out this research a sample consisting of 58 subjects diagnosed of SLOAD was used. These subjects were distributed in two groups in function of the presence or absence of symptoms of depression, based on the punctuations obtained in the Beck Depression Inventory. The evaluation of each subject consisted of a full neurological exploration, a neuroradiologic exam by computed tomography scans, a socio demographic, clinical and neuropsychologic evaluation with a battery of tests designed for this study. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that the symptoms of depression doesn't influence neuropsychologic performance of SLOAD patients, what lead us to suggest that the neuropsychologic consequences of depression may be overshadowed by the influence of the neurodegenerative process.

Normal aging and AIDS.

Normal aging is accompanied by a wide range of changes in brain structure and function. In this work we seek to examine the hypothesis that normal aging results in neuropsychological findings similar to those produced by neuropsychological impairment related to AIDS. Specifically, we attempt to compare the level of neuropsychological performance in three groups: a normal elderly group (n = 46), a young group of AIDS patients (n = 36), and a young group of normal subjects (n = 22). The results indicated that, despite age differences between the normal elderly and AIDS patients, there was great similarity in the neuropsychological test performance of these two groups. In contrast, both groups demonstrated significantly different neuropsychological test performance than that evidenced by the younger normal controls. These results support the notion that neuropsychological changes related to normal aging are of a nature similar to those observed in AIDS and, therefore, affect functions subserved by frontal-subcortical brain regions.

[Neuropsychological deficit in Parkinson's disease. Its relation with clinical variables]. / Déficit neuropsicológicos en la enfermedad de Parkinson. Relación con variables clínicas.

INTRODUCTION: A correct diagnostic approach to the problem of Parkinson s disease dementia must be based on a thorough clinical history, with a longitudinal vision of the process, in which motor, behavioural, cognitive and systemic aspects of the disease and the degree of disability produced all have to be taken into consideration. Thus, after a meticulous neurological examination, careful neuropsychological evaluation is required to try and typify and quantify the deficits and the pattern of cognitive deterioration. Since cognitive alterations may occur during the first stages of the disease, the patient should be submitted to a neuropsychological exploration from the initial phases onwards, and then followed by longitudinal controls. AIMS. In an attempt to evaluate and determine the neuropsychological deficits associated with this disorder, we used an exhaustive neuropsychological battery which enables us to perform an in depth examination of the different neuropsychological functions. Our aim is also to link the neuropsychological performance of these patients with different clinical variables (years of schooling, evolution time, intensity, age of onset, motor alterations, depression and dopaminergic treatment). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our sample was made up of 50 subjects divided into two groups according to their neurological diagnosis: subjects with Parkinson s disease (PD) and a control group. RESULTS: A significant decrease was found in the scores obtained in some of the tests by subjects with PD compared with subjects from the control group. CONCLUSIONS: In agreement with current research and our own results, we suggest that idiopathic PD is not accompanied by dementia, but by just certain specific deficits related with cortical functions, mainly in the frontal lobe. The dementia that develops in very old patients and those with a long evolution is more related with age than with the intensity of the symptoms of Parkinson.

Déficit neuropsicológicos en la enfermedad de Parkinson.Relación con variables clínicas / Neuropsychological deficit in parkinson's disease. Its relation with clinical variables

Introducción. Una aproximación diagnóstica correcta al problema del Parkinson-demencia debe basarse en una historia clínica exhaustiva, con una visión longitudinal del proceso, en la que se deben valorar aspectos motores, conductuales, cognitivos y sistémicos de la enfermedad y el grado de discapacidad que producen. Por tanto, después de una exploración neurológica pormenorizada, se precisa una valoración neuropsicológica con detenimiento que intente tipificar y cuantificar los déficit y el patrón de deterioro cognitivo. Dado que en los primeros estadios de la enfermedad pueden presentarse alteraciones cognitivas, está indicada una exploración neuropsicológica del paciente desde fases iniciales, para seguir con controles longitudinales. Objetivos. En un intento de valorar y determinar los déficit neuropsicológicos asociados a esta patología, hemos aplicado una batería neuropsicológica exhaustiva que nos permita profundizar en las diferentes funciones neuropsicológicas. Se pretende, además, relacionar el rendimiento neuropsicológico de estos pacientes con distintas variables clínicas (años de escolaridad, tiempo de evolución, intensidad, edad de inicio, alteraciones motoras, depresión y tratamiento dopaminérgico). Pacientes y métodos. La muestra utilizada estaba compuesta por 50 sujetos divididos en dos grupos en función de su diagnóstico neurológico: sujetos con enfermedad de Parkinson (EP) y un grupo de control. Resultados. Se revela un descenso significativo de las puntuaciones que obtuvieron los sujetos con EP en algunas de las pruebas utilizadas, en relación con los sujetos del grupo de control. Conclusiones. De acuerdo con las investigaciones actuales y nuestros propios resultados, planteamos que la EP idiopática no se acompaña de demencia, sino tan sólo de ciertos déficit específicos relacionados con funciones corticales, preferentemente del lóbulo frontal. La demencia que se desarrolla en los pacientes muy mayores o en los de larga evolución está más relacionada con la edad que con la intensidad de los síntomas parkinsonianos (AU)

[Variables associated with cognitive deterioration in Parkinson's disease]. / Variables asociadas al deterioro cognitivo en la enfermedad de Parkinson.

INTRODUCTION: The relation between Parkinson s disease (EP) and dementia is both complex and controversial in definition, epidemiology and pathology. Data on the prevalence of dementia in EP vary widely owing to the different populations studied and differences in the definitions used. However, the large population studies (> 200,000 persons), with details of the clinical features of the cases reviewed, show a prevalence of nearly 30%. OBJECTIVES: We wished to investigate whether certain clinical variables in patients with Parkinson s disease, with or without cognitive deterioration might affect the development of neurodegenerative conditions in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 23 patients with Parkinson s disease included in this study were selected on the clinico-diagnostic criteria of idiopathic Parkinson s disease, namely on the following clinical characteristics: resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and postural instability; we considered that the patients had cognitive deterioration when they obtained scores below 28 points on the cognitive mini-examination, a Spanish adaptation of the Mini Mental State Examination, which has a maximum possible score of 35 points. RESULTS: The results show significant differences in some of the variables studied. CONCLUSION: We wished to show which variables, such as the age of onset of symptoms and degree of severity of the extrapyramidal disorder in patients with EP, are risk factors for development of neurodegenerative conditions in these patients.

[Age functional differences in auditory and verbal memory]. / Diferencias en función de la edad de la memoria auditiva verbal.

The aim of this work, has been focus an the study of an specific aspect of the memory. To verify (establish) the influence of the age in the mnesic efficiency of the auditory verbal memory in the presence of non numerical stimulus structured and non structured. After the study of the upper functions in 162 persons, 69 persons of both sexes, who didn't show any objectable sign of the cognitive deterioration were selected and that in the moment of the neuropsychologist exploration weren't diagnosed of any Kind of pathology. The selected persons were divided in two groups depending of the age. A first group of bess than 65 years persons, and a second group of people over years. We found significant differences in the total efficiency of the Audio Verbal King evidence, the same as in the efficiency of the Babcock History between the two groups that were studied, being the second group (elder one) which showed a warse efficiency in the total number of evoked words, the same as in the information unites remembered of History.