93,309 research outputs found
White matter changes in patients with hypoxic amnesia
No full textDi Paola M, Moscatelli A, Bigler ED, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. White matter changes in patients with hypoxic amnesia. Neurocase. 2011;17(1):46-56
Memory disorders in patients with cerebral tumors
No full textIn patients with cerebral tumors, deficits in declarative episodic memory typically result from damage to structures of the Papez circuit. These deficits can arise directly from the action of the tumor mass or indirectly from the surgical intervention. Memory deficits are also frequently seen in patients who show no direct involvement of the Papez circuit. In these patients, the memory impairment probably results from disruption of frontal lobe functioning (caused by localization of the tumor at this level or disconnection from subcortical afferents). Here, I review the neuropsychological tools used to differentiate amnesic syndromes resulting from lack of consolidation of new memory traces (as a consequence of damage to the Papez circuit) from amnesias resulting from reduced efficiency of elaborative encoding and/or strategic retrieval processes (as a consequence of frontal lobe damage). The clinical and rehabilitative implications of this distinction are briefly discussed
Prospective memory functioning: a new area of investigation in the clinical neuropsychology and rehabilitation of Parkinson's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Review of evidence
No full textThe integrity of prospective memory (PM) is likely crucial for independent human behavior. PM refers to the ability to execute an intention after a certain delay. Its impaired functioning may significantly affect the correct execution of common daily activities, such as taking a pill at a certain time or complying with future plans. The results of recent studies indicate that PM is impaired pervasively and early in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we reviewed studies investigating the characteristics of PM disorders in these individuals and the potential for cognitive rehabilitation. The PM profiles of individuals with MCI and PD indicate that interventions aimed at enhancing the different cognitive processes underlying their PM disorders could be useful. At the current state of the art, however, no evidence-based protocols are available. Therefore, the discussion proposed here should be considered an attempt to identify some valuable perspectives for future research and interventions
Perceptual and conceptual priming in amnesic and alcoholic patients
No full textThis study investigated the contribution of perceptual and conceptual processes to the repetition priming effect, and evaluated alternative theoretical positions about repetition priming in amnesic patients. Toward this end, we administered three repetition priming tasks (Stem Completion, Word Identification and Free Association) and an explicit memory task (yes/no Recognition) to amnesic and alcoholic patients, and tested the sensitivity of these tasks to level of processing and to manipulations of presentation modality. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the level of priming in Stem Completion and Free Association (but not in Word Identification) was enhanced by semantic elaboration of the stimuli. Experiment 2 revealed that the magnitude of priming in Word Identification and Stem Completion (but not in Free Association) was larger in the intramodal then in the intermodal condition. Amnesic patients displayed normal perceptual as well conceptual priming. Possible interpretations of these results according to theoretical models that distinguish memory tasks along an explicit-implicit dichotomy (multiple memory system theory), or on the basis of the extent to which they depend upon perceptual or conceptual processing (transfer-appropriate procedures approach), or that assumes a possible contamination of priming performance by explicit strategies of retrieval are discussed
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No full textProspective memory functioning in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review
No full textObjective: There is growing interest in investigating prospective memory (PM) functioning in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) without dementia because evidence suggests that PM may be impaired in this clinical population. This paper reviews current literature on PM functioning in PD patients with the aim of discussing i) the potential contribution of executive and episodic memory disorders to PM impairments, ii) whether PM impairment is an independent disorder in PD or whether it is a sign of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and iii) the efficacy of cognitive interventions in treating PM disorders in these patients. Method: A search of the relevant literature revealed 21 original research papers and five review/meta-analyses that directly investigated PM abilities in PD samples. Results: Analysis of the reported data revealed that both executive functions and episodic memory are involved in the PM performance of patients with PD. Moreover, sparse evidence suggests that PM is not impaired in all PD patients but, rather, that PM deficits may be specifically associated with MCI. Finally, preliminary findings suggest that cognitive interventions may be effective in improving PM functioning in PD patients with MCI who present a well-established neuropsychological profile. Conclusions: Although some shortcomings of the PM literature on PD patients prevent drawing firm conclusions, this review of current evidence highlights the importance of including PM assessment in the standard neuropsychological evaluation of patients with PD. Moreover, there are indications that ad-hoc cognitive programs applied according to the qualitative cognitive profile of patients could improve their PM abilities
Hippocampal mean diffusivity and memory in healthy elderly individuals: a cross-sectional study
No full textThe relationship between age-related memory decline and hippocampal anatomic changes is a matter of debate
Defective concept formation in parkinsonians is independent from mental deterioration
No full textAn extensive neuropsychological battery (the Mental Deterioration Battery) was utilized to distinguish, within a sample of 24 idiopathic Parkinsonians, those showing signs of diffuse mental deterioration (n = 9) from those without deterioration (n = 15). Performances of control subjects on a wide range of tests exploring mnesic, visuo-constructive, linguistic and general intellectual functions (n = 21) did not differ from analogous performances of Parkinsonians without signs of diffuse mental deterioration. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was then used to verify the hypothesis that a selective impairment of cognitive functions subsumed by the integrity of frontal lobes could be demonstrated in Parkinsonian patients. Our results provide evidence that in this task, defective performances are obtained by Parkinsonians and even by patients without signs of diffuse cognitive impairment. These findings seem to confirm that a deficit in concept formation, maintenance and shifting is largely independent of the dementia frequently noticed in Parkinson's disease
Prevalence and characteristics of alexithymia in Parkinson's disease
No full textAlexithymia, a reduction in the tendency to think about emotions, together with a difficulty in identifying and describing feelings, has been characterized as a personality trait, but may be secondary to other pathological conditions
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