Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) often overlaps clinically with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), both of which have prominent eye movement abnormalities. To investigate the ability of oculomotor performance to differentiate between FTLD, Alzheimer's disease, CBS and PSP, saccades and smooth pursuit were…

Purpose: The Scales of Cognitive and Communicative Ability for Neurorehabilitation (SCCAN; L. Milman & A. Holland, 2007) was developed in the hospital setting to address changes in assessment practice. The SCCAN was designed to provide an overview of impairment and activity limitations across 8 cognitive scales (Speech Comprehension, Oral…

There is a consensus that Alzheimer's disease (AD) impairs semantic information, with one of the first markers being anomia i.e. an impaired ability to name items. Doubts remain, however, about whether this naming impairment differentially affects items from the living and nonliving knowledge domains. Most studies have reported an impairment for…

In the present study, voice onset time (VOT) measurements were compared between a group of individuals with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and a group of healthy age- and gender-matched peers. Participants read a list of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, which included the six stop consonants. The VOT measurements were made from…

A newly developed quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system was used to measure changes in cortical hemoglobin oxygenation during the Verbal Fluency Task in 32 healthy controls, 15 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 15 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amplitude of changes in the waveform, which was…

Purpose: We examined the impact of caregiver neuroticism on longitudinal change in depression among spouse-caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease receiving either enhanced psychosocial treatment or usual care. We were interested in whether high levels of caregiver neuroticism would lead to a diminished response to the enhanced…

Cholinesterase inhibitors positively affect cognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other conditions, but no controlled functional MRI studies have examined where their effects occur in the brain. We examined the effects of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept[Registered sign]) on cognition and brain activity in patients with amnestic mild cognitive…

Purpose: We determine the main outcome effects of a 12-month computer-mediated automated interactive voice response (IVR) intervention designed to assist family caregivers managing persons with disruptive behaviors related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Design and Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled study of 100 caregivers, 51 in the usual…

Purpose: We assess the effects of racial or ethnic concordance between caregivers and interventionists on caregiver attrition, change in depression, and change in burden in a multisite randomized clinical trial. Design and Methods: Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease were randomized to intervention or control groups at six sites…

Purpose: We examine 6-month effects of the Environmental Skill-Building Program on caregiver well-being and care recipient functioning and whether effects vary by caregiver gender, race (White or non-White), and relationship (spouse or nonspouse). Design and Methods: We enrolled 255 family caregivers of community-residing persons with Alzheimer's…