Implicit learning: A way to improve visual search in spatial neglect?

Studies have shown that neglect patients are able to use stimulus regularities to orient faster toward the neglected side, without necessarily being aware of that information, or at the very least without being able to verbalize their knowledge. In order to better control for the involvement of explicit processes, the present study sought to test neglect patients' ability to detect more complex associations between stimuli using tasks similar to those used in implicit learning studies. Our results demonstrate that neglect patients had difficulties implicitly learning complex associations, contrary to what we found with controls. The possible influence of attentional and working memory impairments are discussed.

Pioneers in migration, pioneering in dementia: first generation immigrants in a European metropolitan memory clinic.

By reviewing the clinical files of 1,058 consecutive newly admitted outpatients of a Brussels-based memory clinic between 2005 and 2012, this study aims to document the demographic and clinical characteristics of European and non-European first generation immigrants. They accounted for 18.6% of the patients, of which 8.6% came from outside Europe (mostly from Morocco, Turkey and the Democratic Republic of Congo). Immigrants with AD tended to be younger, and there was a higher proportion of males among non-European ethnic minorities. There was a higher proportion of Parkinson-related cognitive disorders and Lewy Body disease among European immigrants, whereas non-Europeans had more often a psychiatric diagnosis. Even after correction for education, non-European immigrants had lower MMSE scores, and they did report longer delays between first symptoms and diagnosis, although this last difference was not statistically significant. These results suggest that non-European immigrants with cognitive problems consult later.

Adult polyglucosan body disease masquerading as "ALS with dementia of the Alzheimer type": an exceptional phenotype in a rare pathology.

We describe an exceptional clinical picture, namely, cognitive impairment of the Alzheimer disease type in a man who later developed manifestations typical of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and who was subsequently found to have adult polyglucosan body disease (APGBD) upon postmortem neuropathologic explorations. The combined occurrence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cognitive impairment of the Alzheimer disease type in APGBD has not been reported before. This case also underlines the diverse clinical presentation of this rare clinicopathologic entity (namely APGBD) and highlights the importance of recognizing the unusual association of clinical features in making the diagnosis.

Respiratory impedance response to a deep inhalation in children with history of cough or asthma.

The aim of this study was to describe the change in respiratory impedance induced by a deep inhalation (DI) in children who developed a positive response to inhalation of methacholine (Mch). Eighteen children aged 4.5-12.5 years, presenting with chronic cough or doctor-diagnosed asthma, were studied at baseline after inhalation of Mch and after inhalation of a bronchodilator. Respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) were measured by the forced oscillation technique, varying transrespiratory pressure at 12 Hz around the head. The tidal flow (V') and volume (V) dependence of Rrs before and after the DI was characterized according to the equation Rrs = K1 + K2 x /V'/ + K3 x V. DI induced no significant change at baseline or after inhalation of a bonchodilator. During Mch challenge, Rrs and K1 were significantly lower, and K3 and Xrs significantly less negative after DI than before, during both inspiration and expiration; there was no change in K2. We conclude that DI results in a decrease in Rrs in children with induced bronchoconstriction. The associated changes in Xrs, K1, and K3, and lack of decrease in K2, suggest that dilatation of airways occurs at the bronchial level, with little contribution of the upper airways or of a change in breathing patterns.