Review of Evidence and Perspectives of Flavonoids on Metabolic Syndrome and Neurodegenerative Disease.

Flavonoids are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and plant-derived foods and may promote various health benefits when included in the diet. The biological activity of flavonoids is normally associated to their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, since oxidative stress is associated to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, flavonoids may be related to metabolic diseases through their effects on inflammatory mediators and pathways, barrier integrity and gut microbiota composition. The extensive metabolism undergone by flavonoids in humans and the individual differences in their bioavailability to target organs hinder the interpretation of results from cell and animal models. Prospective human studies therefore provide an important perspective. In the field of neurodegenerative disease, carefully designed cohort studies have uncovered important associations between flavonoid intake and reduction in dementia risk, especially regarding specific flavonols, but also anthocyanins. Alternative mechanisms of action, such as changes in the gut microbiota or modulation of the production of toxic proteins, such as amyloid and tau, likely account for an important component of their positive effects, and their elucidation may lead to public health benefits of large magnitude.

Spatial neglect in a patient with logopenic progressive aphasia.

Spatial neglect and extinction are induced by posterior superior temporal and inferior parietal dysfunction. In patients with logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA) these structures are often degenerated, but there are no reports of these disorders being associated. A 53-year-old man with the signs of LPA revealed right-sided spatial neglect on line bisection and drawing tests as well as multimodal extinction. MRI showed left hemispheric posterior temporoparietal atrophy. Since injury to the core structures for these aphasic and attentional syndromes overlaps, patients with LPA should be screened for spatial neglect and extinction.

Allocentric spatial neglect with posterior cortical atrophy.

Patients with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) have been reported to have neglect in the egocentric/ body-centered reference frame. This report describes a woman with PCA who had a right-sided stimulus-based form of allocentric visual neglect on cancellation, reading, and drawing tests. Her brain imaging revealed left parietal atrophy. The pathophysiology of this disorder may be related to an impairment of the ventral "what" stream's ability to interact with the dorsal "where" stream that mediates the allocation of spatial attention, or a deficit in the systems that allocate contralateral focal attention. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of this disorder and to optimally treat it.