Alzheimer's disease clinical and research update for health care practitioners.

Of the approximately 6.8 million Americans who have been diagnosed with dementia, over 5 million have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Due to the rise in the aging population, these figures are expected to double by 2050. The following paper provides an up-to-date review of clinical issues and relevant research. Research related to the methods of the earliest possible detection of AD is ongoing. Health care professionals should play a critical role in differentially diagnosing AD patients, as well as supporting their families. Novel interventions, including medications, natural supplements, and behavioral techniques, are constantly appearing in the literature. It is necessary for the health practitioner to remain current, regarding AD, as such information will facilitate better care for patients and their families.

Frequency analysis unveils cardiac autonomic dysfunction after mild traumatic brain injury.

Long-term mortality is increased after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Central cardiovascular-autonomic dysregulation resulting from subtle, trauma-induced brain lesions might contribute to cardiovascular events and fatalities. We investigated whether there is cardiovascular-autonomic dysregulation after mTBI. In 20 mTBI patients (37±13 years, 5-43 months post-injury) and 20 healthy persons (26±9 years), we monitored respiration, RR intervals (RRI), blood pressures (BP), while supine and upon standing. We calculated the root mean square successive RRI differences (RMSSD) reflecting cardiovagal modulation, the ratio of maximal and minimal RRIs around the 30th and 15th RRI upon standing (30:15 ratio) reflecting baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), spectral powers of parasympathetic high-frequency (HF: 0.15-0.5 Hz) RRI oscillations, of mainly sympathetic low-frequency (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) RRI oscillations, of sympathetic LF-BP oscillations, RRI-LF/HF-ratios reflecting sympathovagal balance, and the gain between BP and RRI oscillations as additional BRS index (BRS(gain)). We compared supine and standing parameters of patients and controls (repeated measures analysis of variance; significance: p<0.05). While supine, patients had lower RRIs (874.2±157.8 vs. 1024.3±165.4 ms), RMSSDs (30.1±23.6 vs. 56.3±31.4 ms), RRI-HF powers (298.1±309.8 vs. 1507.2±1591.4 ms(2)), and BRS(gain) (8.1±4.4 vs. 12.5±8.1 ms·mmHg(-1)), but higher RRI-LF/HF-ratios (3.0±1.9 vs. 1.2±0.7) than controls. Upon standing, RMSSDs and RRI-HF-powers decreased significantly in controls, but not in patients; patients had lower RRI-30:15-ratios (1.3±0.3 vs. 1.6±0.3) and RRI-LF-powers (2450.0±2110.3 vs. 4805.9±3453.5 ms(2)) than controls. While supine, mTBI patients had reduced cardiovagal modulation and BRS. Upon standing, their BRS was still reduced, and patients did not withdraw parasympathetic or augment sympathetic modulation adequately. Impaired autonomic modulation probably contributes to cardiovascular irregularities post-mTBI.

A review of the International Brain Research Foundation novel approach to mild traumatic brain injury presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

"The International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury" held at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ., from October 12 to 15, 2008, included a presentation on the novel assessment and treatment approach to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) by Philip A. DeFina, PhD, of the International Brain Research Foundation (IBRF). Because of the urgent need to treat a large number of our troops who are diagnosed with mTBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the conference was held to create a report for Congress titled "Recommendations to Improve the Care of Wounded Warriors NOW. March 12, 2009." This article summarizes and adds greater detail to Dr. DeFina's presentation on the current standard and novel ways to approach assessment and treatment of mTBI and PTSD. Pilot data derived from collaborative studies through the IBRF have led to the development of clinical and research protocols utilizing currently accepted, valid, and reliable neuroimaging technologies combined in novel ways to develop "neuromarkers." These neuromarkers are being evaluated in the context of an "Integrity-Deficit Matrix" model to demonstrate their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, guide treatment programs, and possibly predict outcomes for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury.

Improving outcomes of severe disorders of consciousness.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of an Advanced Care Protocol (ACP) in improving rates of clinical progression and emergence in patients with Severe Disorders of Consciousness (SDOC). METHODS: Forty-one patients with SDOC were assigned to groups: Vegetative State (VS) traumatic etiology (VS-TBI), VS non-traumatic etiology (VS-NTBI), Minimally Conscious State (MCS-TBI), MCS non-traumatic etiology (MCS-NTBI). Design was a within-subjects retrospective case series measuring pre-post ACP intervention data. The ACP was administered sequentially over 12 weeks, incorporating traditional therapies (occupational, physical, speech), pharmaceuticals, median nerve stimulation, and neutraceuticals. Main Outcome Measures were: Pre- and post-treatment Disability Rating Scale (DRS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R); clinical diagnosis (VS, MCS, emerged) using criteria from the American Academy of Neurology and Mohonk Report. RESULTS: Patients significantly improved across all outcome measures, from baseline to discharge. Clinical improvement of 100% of MCS patients and 78-86% of VS patients was observed following ACP treatment. Significant differences between ACP vs. the published "standard of care" rates, in favor of the ACP, based on DRS scores and on clinical status at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: These strikingly positive results of a novel multimodal intervention are a valuable contribution to this frontier of investigation.