Article

Early identification of cognitive deficits: preclinical Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
Geriatrics (impact factor: 1.35). 05/2007; 62(4):19-23. pp.19-23
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT With the projected dramatic increase in the number of people who will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the coming years, interest is growing in identifying and treating adults at high risk for developing the disorder. Recent research suggests that individuals who will go on to receive a diagnosis of AD exhibit deficits in cognitive performance years beforehand. Those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), for example, have characteristic cognitive deficits, such as memory loss, and convert to a diagnosis of AD at a faster rate than cognitively healthy controls. MCI has thus become a focus of research because it may help identify high-risk individuals for whom prophylactic treatments designed to slow the progress toward AD can be prescribed. After describing the diagnostic criteria and dementia outcomes associated with MCI, this article discusses several challenges to the study of cognitive impairment before the diagnosis of AD.

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    Article: The role of circadian clock genes in mental disorders.
    Elaine Waddington Lamont, Daniel Legault-Coutu, Nicolas Cermakian, Diane B Boivin
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    ABSTRACT: The study of molecular clock mechanisms in psychiatric disorders is gaining significant interest due to data suggesting that a misalignment between the endogenous circadian system and the sleep-wake cycle might contribute to the clinical status of patients suffering from a variety of psychiatric disorders. Sleep disturbances in major depressive disorder (MDD) are characterized by increased sleep latency, poorer sleep efficiency reduced latency to the first rapid eye movement (REM) sleep episode, and early-morning awakening, but there is little data to indicate a role of circadian clock genes in MDD. There is also relatively little information regarding the role of clock genes in anxiety. In contrast, a significant amount of evidence gathered in bipolar disorder (BPD) patients suggests a circadian rhythm disorder, namely an advanced circadian rhythm and state-dependent alterations of REM sleep latency. Most research on the role of clock genes in BPD has focused on polymorphisms of CLOCK, but the lithium target GSK3 may also play a significant role. A circadian phase shift is also theorized to contribute to the pathophysiology of winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Certain allelic combinations of NPAS2, PER3, and BMAL1 appear to contribute to the risk of SAD. In chronic schizophrenia, disturbances of sleep including insomnia and reduced sleep efficiency have been observed. Genetic studies have found associations with CLOCK, PER1, PER3, and TIMELESS. Sleep and circadian changes associated with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease suggest a functional change in the circadian master clock, which is supported by postmortem studies of clock gene expression in the brain.
    Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 02/2007; 9(3):333-42.
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Keywords

AD exhibit deficits
 
adults
 
Alzheimer's disease
 
characteristic cognitive deficits
 
cognitive performance years
 
cognitively healthy controls
 
coming years
 
dementia outcomes
 
diagnostic criteria
 
high-risk individuals
 
MCI
 
memory loss
 
mild cognitive impairment
 
projected dramatic increase
 
Recent research