[Effects of age on orientation of attention]. / Effetti dell'età sull'orientamento dell'attenzione.

The present experiment investigated the influence of age on the magnitude of attentional effects. Subjects were cued to attend to one of two possible stimulus locations horizontally arranged. The instructions were to respond as fast as possible to the occurrence of a visual stimulus, regardless of whether it occurred in a cued or in a non-cued location. When the stimulus occurred in a non-cued location, the subject had to reorient attention to the non-attended, but stimulated, location. Reorienting of attention was directed toward either the left or the right side. The results showed that for the elders, time for reorienting was longer than for younger subjects.

[Clinical and laboratory evaluation of the efficacy of parenteral nutritional support in malnourished elderly]. / Valutazione clinica e laboratoristica dell'efficacia di un supporto nutrizionale per via parenterale nei deperimenti organici dell'anziano.

The study was carried out on twenty nine geriatric patients with malnutrition of variable aetiology. The effectiveness of a temporary parenteral nutritional supplement was evaluated both clinically and by means of some metabolic indexes: nitrogen balance, serum albumin, blood electrolytes, acid-base parameters, hemocytometry. The treatment was devoid of metabolic complications, and promoted a positive nitrogen balance as well as clinical improvement in most patients.

[Disturbances of equilibrium in the aged]. / I disturbi dell'equilibrio nella terza età.

The occurrence during the last year of vestibular disorders, faints and drop attacks was investigated in 150 patients consecutively admitted to a geriatric hospital. The clinical features of these episodes were recorded by means of a proper questionnaire. True vertigo and/or feeling of unstable equilibrium were referred by 54,6% of the patients inquired into, whereas episodes interpretable as faints and drop attacks showed by far lower prevalences, respectively 13,3% and 6%. The Authors call attention to the difficulties in differential diagnosis among these three kinds of phenomena in the current practice.

[Comparative study of the frequency of 6 primitive reflexes in a hospitalized population of aged patients]. / Studio comparativo della frequenza di 6 riflessi primitivi in una popolazione ospedalizzata di età geriatrica.

110 elderly patients, 57 with and 53 without acquired neurological lesions, were examined for the presence of the grasping, snout, sucking, palmomental, glabellar and bulldog reflexes. The results were statistically analyzed by means of the chi2 method. The percentages of the positive reflex responses, although not negligible in the neurologically healthy patients, turned out far higher in the patients with organic cerebral disorders. With the exception of the sucking and palmomental reflexes, these differences appeared statistically significant. As for the neurological diagnosis, diffuse lesions proved themselves more crucial than focal ones. The conclusion is drawn that primitive reflexes should be regarded abnormal only in the context of an overt cerebral pathology.