An on-line ''word detection'' paradigm was used to assess the comprehension of thematic and transitive verb agreements during sentence processing in individuals diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD, n=15) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD, n=14). AD, FTD, and control participants (n=17) were asked to listen for a word in a sentence.…

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists have developed a new dye that could offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could aid in monitoring the progression of the disease and in studying the efficacy of new treatments to stop it. The work is published in Angewandte Chemie. Today, doctors can only…

Purpose: This study developed and tested two 24-month primary care interventions to alleviate the psychological distress suffered by the caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease. The interventions, using targeted educational materials, were patient behavior management only, and patient behavior management plus caregiver stress-coping…

Strategies to fix America's ailing health-care system seemed to fly off the presses every month in 2007. Doctors, journalists, and policymakers clamored to have their say, as did supporters and opponents of the controversial life-extension movement. These top trends, which registered in 2006 as well, and will only balloon in this election year,…

This study examined the impact of various degenerative dementias on access to semantic knowledge and the status of semantic representations. Patients with semantic dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and Alzheimer's disease were compared with elderly controls on tasks of category and letter fluency, with number of words generated, mean lexical…

In a study of the discourse of 100 people with Alzheimer's disease treated for 12 months with donepezil, we observed that, as a group, they used a form of tag, described here as a self-referential tag (SRT), 14 times more frequently than did caregivers. Patients use SRTs to check propositions dependent on episodic memory as in I haven't seen the…

Measures developed from animal models of aging may detect dementia of the Alzheimer's type in a population at-risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although, by middle age, individuals with Down syndrome (DS) show an extraordinarily high prevalence of AD-type pathology, their severe idiopathic cognitive deficits tend to confound the "clinical"…

Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by increased mortality rates, both during early and later stages of life, and age-specific mortality risk remains higher in adults with DS compared with the overall population of people with mental retardation and with typically developing populations. Causes of increased mortality rates early in life are…

This article offers guidelines for the modification of the living environment of adults with Down syndrome before they develop dementia in order to allow them to remain in familiar surroundings for as long as possible. These include maintaining the person's individuality; aiding his/her communication; changing supports with the course of the…

Considers the concept that education and learning are physiological events worthy of classification within the health and wellness movement of health care. Discusses the meaning and purpose of education; education in transition; the need for a new paradigm; learning and health, including Alzheimer's disease; and language development and the…

Compared self- and other-rated depression in spousal caregivers for 23 Alzheimer's patients, 23 Parkinsons' Disease patients, and 23 control subjects. Two caregiver groups were similar in length of time they had been giving care and in caregiver distress and both caregiver groups were more depressed than control subjects. (Author/NB)

Describes an intermittent, focused social work intervention to help overcome personal and intrapsychic barriers to using available help for wives of Alzheimer's patients. Discusses therapeutic goals, common themes, and implications for practice with caregiving wives with specific attention to supporting the wife in her wish to "responsibly…

Reports data from nationwide survey of state mental hospitals, providing exploratory look at patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders currently residing in state hospitals. Describes admissions trends, reasons for admission, and sources of referral. Discusses civil commitment of nursing home patients with dementing illnesses and…

Describes Alzheimer's disease and the burdens that caregivers encounter in dealing with Alzheimer's patients. Presents information concerning support group counseling for caregivers, their particular needs, and special family issues. Emphasizes that relationships between caregivers and support group counselors are crucial to successful…

Investigated whether dementing adult day care clients demonstrated positive behaviors during activities with young children that they did not demonstrate during similar activities without children. Findings from 21 clients revealed that adults showed significant increases in touching and extending hands in presence of children, while also showing…