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Introduction
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March 1987 - present
March 1987 - February 2016
Publications
Publications (242)
Background
Increasing findings have proven that virtual reality (VR) is a promising approach for improving knowledge, self‐efficacy, and empathy in educational programs (Dhar, DigitHealth. 2023). The purpose of an ongoing randomised clinical trial is to enhance mental wellbeing of dementia patients' informal caregivers (iCGs) by including a VR‐base...
Objectives
Care for community‐dwelling people with dementia is frequently delegated to relatives, who find themselves in the role of informal caregivers with no practical management knowledge. This situation exposes caregivers to increased risk for emotional wellbeing. The current study aims to test whether the integration of the efficacy of an imm...
Objective
The quality of the relationship between persons with dementia and family carers influences health and quality-of-life outcomes. Little is known regarding those at higher risk of experiencing a decline in relationship quality, who could potentially benefit the most from interventions. We aimed to identify these risk profiles and explore th...
Introduction
Systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are potentially modifiable factors implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which offer potential therapeutic targets to slow disease progression.
Methods
We investigated the relationship between baseline circulating levels of inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1ß) and endothelial cell markers (VC...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are the two major neurodegenerative diseases causing dementia. Due to similar clinical phenotypes, differential diagnosis is challenging without specific biomarkers. Beta-site Amyloid Precursor Protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a β-secretase pivotal in AD pathogenesis. In AD and mild cog...
Background: Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF) in Italy have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of mortality rates of older residents. However, it is still unclear the actual extent of this situation. The aim of this manuscript is to assess the extent of mortality rates of older adults in LTCF during the pandemic...
BACKGROUND: Hypertension is common among patients with Alzheimer disease. Because this group has been excluded from hypertension trials, evidence regarding safety of treatment is lacking. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial assessed whether antihypertensive treatment increases the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) in p...
Il settore sociosanitario deputato a progettare e realizzare i servizi di cura e assistenza per le persone fragili e anziane è stato oggetto negli ultimi anni di profonde modificazioni, a causa della contrazione delle risorse finanziarie, del progressivo aumento della domanda dovuto all’invecchiamento della popolazione e alla profonda modificazione...
Objectives: To identify correlates of self-rated and proxy-rated quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia on (i) a dementia-specific and (ii) a capability-wellbeing QoL measure at baseline and 12-month follow-up, and to consider such factors in the context of QoL intervention development.
Method: Prospective clinical and demographic data were...
Background
This study reports the findings of the first large-scale Phase III investigator-driven clinical trial to slow the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease with a dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blocker, nilvadipine. Nilvadipine, licensed to treat hypertension, reduces amyloid production, increases regional cerebral blood flow...
A large portion of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients has a family history of disease and the presence of a pathogenic mutation confirms the clinical diagnosis. Recently, standardized criteria to evaluate FTLD pedigree, based on first- and second-degree affected relatives, their age at onset, and clinical phenotype, were proposed and...
Objective: The Actifcare (Access to timely formal care) study investigated needs of people with dementia and their families during the phase in which formal care is being considered, and examined whether higher need levels are related to lower quality of life (QOL).
Method: From eight European countries 451 people with dementia and their carers par...
Alcohol, coffee, and tobacco consumption was assessed on 151 FTD outpatients and 151 matched controls in a multicenter retrospective case-control design. No association was found for smoking and coffee intake. The risk of FTD was decreased by alcohol consumption (adj. OR 0.30, 95 CI 0.14-0.63); risk reduction was significant in current alcohol cons...
Background
As part of the ActifCare (ACcess to Timely Formal Care) project, we conducted expert interviews in eight European countries with policy and political decision makers, or representatives of relevant institutions, to determine their perspectives on access to formal care for people with dementia and their carers. Methods
Each ActifCare coun...
Background:
People with dementia and their informal carers often do not receive appropriate professional support or it is not received at the right time.
Objectives:
Description and comparison of common pathways to formal community dementia care in eight European countries as a part of the transnational Actifcare project.
Materials and methods:...
Introduction
In the context of untimely access to community formal services, unmet needs of persons with dementia (PwD) and their carers may compromise their quality of life.
Objectives/aims
The Actifcare EU-JPND project (www.actifcare.eu) focuses on access to and (non) utilization of dementia formal care in eight countries (The Netherlands, Germa...
Meta-analyses show that serum copper non-bound-to-ceruloplasmin (non-Cp-Cu) is higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). ATP7B gene variants associate with AD, modulating the size of non-Cp-Cu pool. However, a dedicated genetic study comparing AD patients after stratification for a copper biomarker to demonstrate the existence of a copper s...
Objectives:
To identify caregiver profiles of persons with mild to moderate dementia and to investigate differences between identified caregiver profiles, using baseline data of the international prospective cohort study Actifcare.
Methods:
A latent class analysis was used to discover different caregiver profiles based on disease related charact...
Importance:
Cerebral amyloidosis is a key abnormality in Alzheimer disease (AD) and can be detected in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET) ligands. Although amyloid PET has clearly demonstrated analytical validity, its clinical utility is debated.
Objective:
To evaluate the incremental diagnostic value of amyloid PET with florbetapir F...
Poster presentation: [Abstracts of the International Congress of the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society: Discovering New Ways in the World of Geriatrics; Lisbon, Portugal, 5-7 Oct 2016]
URL: http://eugms2016-abstracts.elsevierdigitaledition.com/#64
Agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia is a neurodegenerative disorder specifically characterized by language deficits. A recent study has demonstrated a beneficial effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with language training on naming accuracy in these patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether...
Background
Previous findings indicate that people with dementia and their informal carers experience difficulties accessing and using formal care services due to a mismatch between needs and service use. This mismatch causes overall dissatisfaction and is a waste of the scarce financial care resources. This article presents the background and metho...
The pathway leading from beta-amyloid deposition to cognitive impairment is believed to be a cornerstone of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, what drives amyloid build-up in sporadic non-genetic cases of AD is still unknown. AD brains feature an inflammatory reaction around amyloid plaques, and a specific subset of the gut micr...
oral presentation S20.03; symposium S20: Access to timely formal care - the Actifcare project; chairs: F. Verhey, M. de Vugt
Introduction
Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, and hospitalization occurs frequently in demented patients. The present study examined the course of behavioural symptoms and functional conditions in hospitalised older people with dementia.
Materials and methods
Prospective cohort study of...
Oral Presentation (abstract)
http://www.spneurologia.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=82&Itemid=99
Previous studies have reported significant deficits in emotion recognition among individuals along the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum. The basis of emotional impairment is still poorly understood and explicit (emotion appraisal) and implicit (autonomic system activity) responses have not been carefully evaluated.
We investigated explicit ev...
Background
Two previous studies of SB742457, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT6) receptor antagonist, suggested the efficacy of improvements in cognition and global outcome in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Methods
Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials investigated SB742457 15 and 35 mg daily in subjects with mild-to-moderate AD (Mini-Mental Health State...
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in older patients. Rivastigmine (RV, Exelon®, Novartis), a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor, improves clinical manifestations of AD and may enhance ACh-modulated electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha frequency. This pilot study aimed to determine the effects of two formulations...
Rotigotine (RTG) is a non-ergot dopamine agonist developed as a new transdermal formulation, and it is indicated for use in early and advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The potential advantages of the RTG patch include immediacy of effect onset, constant drug delivery, better tolerability avoiding drug peaks and easy of use, helping patient's compl...
Effective therapies for the so-called atypical parkinsonian syndrome (APS) such as multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), or corticobasal syndrome (CBS) are not available. Dopamine agonists (DA) are not often used in APS because of inefficacy and in a minority of case, their side effects, like dyskinesias, impairment o...
Transdermal rotigotine (RTG) is a non-ergot dopamine agonist (D3>D2>D1), and is indicated for use in early and advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). RTG patch has many potential advantages due to the immediacy of onset of the therapeutic effect. Of note, intestinal absorption is not necessary and drug delivery is constant, thereby avoiding drug peaks...
Objective: Given the limited effectiveness of pharmacological treatments, non-pharmacological interventions to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) have gained attention in recent years. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of anodal tDCS (AtDCS) combined with memory training on face-name associations in an AD patient sample.
Method...
The increase of EEG alpha3/alpha2 frequency power ratio has been associated with AD-converters subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as a reduction in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). In this study, the association between alpha3/alpha2 frequency power ratio with rCBF changes in subjects with MCI was evaluated. The alpha3/al...
Background: In an attempt to find non-invasive biomarkers, researchers have investigated the feasibility of neuroimaging tools, such as MR, SPECT as well as neurophysiological measurements using EEG. The increase of theta frequency has been associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and related to both grey matter (GM) changes of thalamus and...
The ventral striatum-nucleus accumbens network has been associated with impulsive behavior in subjects with early cognitive impairment; in Alzheimer's disease (AD) modifications of basal ganglia have been also demonstrated. Moreover, the increase of EEG alpha3/alpha2 frequency power ratio has been investigated as EEG marker in subjects with mild co...
Objective:
Temporoparietal cortex thinning is associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer disease (AD). The increase in EEG upper/low α frequency power ratio has been associated with AD converter MCI subjects. We investigated the association of the EEG upper/low α frequency power ratio with patterns of cortical thickness in MC...
Alzheimer.s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that impacts several cognitive functions. However, some aspects of cognitive function are preserved until later in the disease and can therefore be the targets of specific interventions. The rehabilitation of cognitive function disorders represents an expanding area of neurological rehabilitation a...
Background: Several biomarkers have been proposed for detecting Alzheimer's disease (AD) in its earliest stages, that is, in the predementia stage. In an attempt to find noninvasive biomarkers, researchers have investigated the feasibility of neuroimaging tools, such as MRI, SPECT as well as neurophysiological measurements using EEG. Moreover, the...
Background:
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is an untreatable neurodegenerative disorder that disrupts language functions. Previous studies have demonstrated transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may improve language symptoms in patients with post stroke aphasia or neurodegenerative diseases.
Objective:
The present study investigated...
Background and aims
Ageing trends in populations are common amongst most European countries. One of the consequences of this trend is the increase of hospitalisation of elderly patients. To better manage the elderly population hospitalisation, it is crucial to obtain a better understanding of this population’s clinical and functional conditions and...
Objective: Temporo-parietal cortex thinning is associated to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer disease (AD). The increase of EEG upper/low alpha power ratio has been associated with AD-converter MCI subjects. We investigated the association of alpha3/alpha2 ratio with patterns of cortical thickness in MCI.
Materials and Methods: Seve...
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has a strong genetic basis, with familial forms occurring in 30-50% of cases. Causative genes have been identified, with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Notwithstanding, in a number of cases with positive family history no pathogenetic mutation has been reported, and the role of genetics in sporadic cases...
Consistent evidence indicates the involvement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, we compared serum BDNF in 624 subjects: 266 patients affected by AD, 28 by frontotemporal dementia (FTD), 40 by Lewy body dementia (LBD), 91...
Objectives. The aim of the present study has been to identify potential predictors of burden-related stress in a group of immigrant caregivers of patients with dementia. Materials and methods. A questionnaire has been administered to 152 immigrant caregivers of patients with moderate to severe dementia (MMSE: 8 ± 3) hospitalized in our Alzheimer's...
Grey matter (GM) changes of thalamus and basal ganglia have been demonstrated to be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, the increase of a specific EEG markers, alpha3/alpha2 a have been associated with, AD-converters subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).To study the association of prognostic EEG markers with specific GM changes...
We assessed the geographical distribution of C9orf72 G(4) C(2) expansions in a pan-European frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) cohort (n = 1205), ascertained by the European Early-Onset Dementia (EOD) consortium. Next, we performed a meta-analysis of our data and that of other European studies, together 2,668 patients from 15 Western European...
The aim of this study is to support the use of biomarkers in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) according to the revised NIA-AA diagnostic criteria. We compared clinical features and conversion to AD and other dementias among groups of MCI patients with different abnormal biomarker profiles. In this stu...
Over the last two decades, age-related anatomical and functional brain changes have been characterized by evidence acquired primarily by means of non-invasive functional neuroimaging. These functional changes are believed to favor positive reorganization driven by adaptations to system changes as compensation for cognitive decline. These functional...
We evaluated the relationship between brain rhythmicity and both the cerebrovascular damage (CVD) and amygdalohippocampal complex (AHC) atrophy, as revealed by scalp electroencephalography (EEG) in a cohort of subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). All MCI subjects underwent EEG recording and magnetic resonance imaging. EEGs were recorded a...
This study reviews the most recent (from 2000 to 2011) Clinical Controlled Trials (CCT) and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) concerning the use of music and music-therapy (MT) in the context of dementia and related issues. Studies which explored the efficacy of music and MT on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are prevalent...
Dementia is a progressive disorder that impacts several cognitive functions. However, some aspects of cognitive function are preserved until late in the disease and can therefore be the targets of specific interventions. The rehabilitation of cognitive function disorders represents an expanding area of neurological rehabilitation, and it has recent...
Background and purpose: Progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by non-fluent speech with naming impairment and grammatical errors. It has been recently demonstrated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) improves action naming in h...
Non-pharmacological intervention of memory difficulties in healthy older adults, as well as those with brain damage and neurodegenerative disorders, has gained much attention in recent years. The two main reasons that explain this growing interest in memory rehabilitation are the limited efficacy of current drug therapies and the plasticity of the...
The complex network of neurotrophic factors is supposed to play a role in neurodegeneration, but the effect of variations in their coding genes on susceptibility to sporadic Alzheimer's disease is not established. The mature form of nerve growth factor (NGF) derives from a precursor, proNGF, which was recently discovered to exert crucial functions...
We evaluated the association between hippocampal atrophy and increase of the EEG markers alpha3/alpha2 relative power ratio in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease patients. Seventy-nine subjects with MCI and 11 patients with AD underwent EEG recording and MRI scan. The MCI group was subdivided in three subgroups according to gro...
Gray matter (GM) changes of thalamus and basal ganglia have been demonstrated to be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, the increase of two EEG markers, alpha3/alpha2 and theta/gamma ratio, have been associated with, respectively, AD converter and non-AD converter subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
To study the association o...
In patients with cognitive deficits, brain stimulation has been shown to restore cognition (Miniussi et al., 200810.
Miniussi , C. ,
Cappa , S. F. ,
Cohen , L. G. ,
Floel , A. ,
Fregni , F.
Nitsche , M. A. 2008. Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation/transcranial direct current stimulation in cognitive neurorehabilitation. B...
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proposed as a possible treatment for the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer disease (AD). The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects, on cognitive performance, of rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in AD patients.
Ten AD patients were...
Objective. The increase of high alpha relative to low alpha power has been recently demonstrated as a reliable EEG marker of hippocampal atrophy conversion of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study we test the reliability of this EEG index in subjects with AD. Methods. Correlation between EEG...
A few epidemiologic studies are available on the prevalence of early-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The aim of this study was to establish in an Italian population, namely in Brescia County, the prevalence of early-onset neurodegenerative dementia, and how it is shared between AD and FTLD. A network among...