bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inter‐parental conflict and children's academic attainment: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Harold Gordon T. , Aitken Jessica J. , Shelton Katherine H. 
Published: August 2007

Background:  Previous research suggests a link between inter‐parental conflict and children's psychological development. Most studies, however, have tended to focus on two broad indices of children's psychological adaptation (internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems) in considering the effects of inter‐parental conflict on children's development. The present longitudinal study extends this body of research by considering the impact of inter‐parental conflict on children's low academic attainment among a sample of 230 schoolchildren (age 11–13 years) living in the United Kingdom.Method:  Controlling for teacher reports of children's initial levels of aggression (Time 1), the proposed theoretical model linked parent and child reports of inter‐parental conflict at Time 1 (1999) to children's perceptions of negative parent–child relations, appraisals of self‐blame for marital conflict and teacher reports of children's aggressive behavior at Time 2 (2000), which in turn were linked to children's performance on standardized academic tests (English, Math, Science) at Time 3 (2001). Structural equation modeling was used to test all hypothesized relations in the proposed theoretical model.Results:  Support was found for the role of children's self‐blaming attributions for parents’ marital arguments, not negative parenting behavior, as a mechanism through which variation in their academic attainment is explained.Conclusions:  Contrary to the focus emphasized in most current family and school‐based intervention programs, findings suggest that the attributional processes engendered in children who live in households marked by high levels of inter‐parental conflict and hostility have important implications for their long‐term academic success.
Quantifying Dementia Care in Japan: A Discussion on the Long‐Term Care Insurance
Authors: Nandi Shivani 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: The Japanese government mandated the kaigohoken, or Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) in December 1997. In view of the pressures faced by Japan as an aged society, the aim of the LTCI is to alleviate the burden of providing care for frail older people by ensuring good quality and readily available services to everyone over 65. The LTCI is thus a high profile, age‐based entitlement program—age based for persons 65 years of age and above, and age related disability based for ages 40 to 64. Individuals 40 years and above, including foreigners living in Japan for more than a year, are responsible in bearing a part of the financial responsibility by having to pay the mandatory premium. The benefits that the insured person receives are decided after evaluating the care requirement. Care is quantified by being categorized into six levels of increasing requirement, starting from support required, through five levels of increasing care.As is well known, caring for a person with dementia is further complicated by accompanying psychiatric disturbances which in turn increase caregiver burden. Thus the fundamental difficulty in dealing with the care of persons with dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia, is the evaluation procedure preceding entitlement. We find that the statistical program of the LTCI employed in the initial stage of the evaluation contains discrepancies, and tends to overemphasize bed ridden patients over people with dementia. This paper is a study of the status of people with dementia in Japan, the mechanism of the assessment method, and the problems associated with it.
Influence of Apolipoprotein E3 on the Production of Paired Helical Filament in Guamanian Parkinsonism‐dementia Complex/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Tsuda Takehide , McLachlan D.R.C. , MD Yasuto Itoyama 
Published: August 2007

Background: Neuropathologically, Guamanian parkinsonism‐dementia complex (PDC) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are characterized by neuronal loss and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). The NFTs are principally composed of paired helical filaments (PHFs) consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau and have been shown to be histopathologically similar to those in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent biochemical studies have suggested that the binding of apolipoprotein E3 (ApoE3) to tau may interfere with the hyperphosphorylation of tau, thus resulting in neuroprotective effects. Methods: In order to clarify the influence of ApoE3 on the production of PHFs in various pathological conditions, the ɛ3 allele frequency in patients with Guamanian PDC and ALS, as well as AD, was examined. Results: The results obtained in this study showed no significant differences between these affected groups and each of the controls in terms of the frequency of the ApoE3 allele. Conclusion: Although ApoE3 has been implicated in the production of PHFs, the present study suggests that ApoE3 may not have a strong inhibitory effect on the production of NFTs in these affected patients.
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder
Authors: Kumano‐go Takayuki , Mikami Akira , Suganuma Nakamori , Adachi Hiroyoshi , Shigedo Yoshihisa , Sugita Yoshiro , Takeda Masatoshi 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by loss of normal voluntary muscle atonia during REM sleep, and is associated with excessive motor activity related to dreaming. The movements are often potentially harmful and may lead to repeated injuries to the patients and/or their bedpartners.RBD is more common in the elderly and affects predominantly males. A recent survey reported an estimated prevalence of RBD of 0.38% in the elderly and 0.5% in the general population. Because the treatment of RBD is effective and safe in most cases, awareness and diagnosis of RBD is critical. Overnight polysomnography is required to differentiate accurately between RBD and other sleep disorders, even though the patients have been clinically diagnosed as RBD according to the minimal criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Muscle tone persists during REM sleep in RBD patients, and may be frequently augmented for prolonged periods of time. The density of REMs or phasic muscle activity occurring during REM sleep significantly increases in these patients, although their overall sleep architecture is usually normal, with the expected cycles of non‐REM and REM sleep.RBD occurs in both acute and chronic form. Acute cases are associated with intoxication and withdrawal. Chronic cases are most often either idiopathic or associated with neurological disorders—especially neurodegenerative diseases. The etiology of idiopathic RBD is still unknown, but a recent study has shown an association between some cases of idiopathic RBD and neurodegenerative disorders with parkinsonism such as Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, and diffuse Lewy body disease. RBD patients thus need to be carefully followed up in terms of neurological evaluation.
An Environmental Change Does Not Affect Dementia Prevalence but Affects Depressive State and Physical Activity: A Trans‐Cultural Study of Japanese Elderly Subjects and Japanese Elderly Immigrants in Brazil
Authors: Meguro Kenichi , Meguro Mitsue , Caramelli Paulo , Ishizaki Junichi , Ambo Hideo , Chubaci Rosa Y. S. , Ishii Hiroshi , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Shimada Masumi , Hamada Gerson S. , Nitrini Ricardo , Yamadori Atsushi 
Published: August 2007

Background:Dementia, depressive state, and physical inactivity, are some of the main topics of geriatric medicine. We previously showed the prevalence of dementia in Tajiri, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. To investigate the environmental effects, first‐generation immigrants are one of the best samples. Brazil is the country with the largest number of Japanese immigrants. Objective:To evaluate the effects of environment on dementia, depressive state, and physical activity, the Tajiri subjects and the elderly Japanese emigrants from Miyagi Prefecture to Brazil were compared. Methods:The total elderly population in Tajiri and that the elderly members of the Miyagi Association in the São Paulo metropolitan area in Brazil were compared. All data were gathered using a standardized interview covering physical status, cognitive function (Mini‐Mental State Examination, MMSE), and depressive state (Self‐reported Depressive Scale, SDS). Dementia and depression were diagnosed based on the DSM‐IV. Results:Seventy‐six percent of the immigrants perceived their health as being excellent or relatively good, whereas only 56% of Tajiri subjects did so. The percentage of subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, a lifestyle related disease, was 8.4% in Tajiri and 24.2% in Brazil. In spite of similar prevalences of dementia with slightly different MMSE distributions, the two groups had a different SDS distribution; the immigrants showed lower depressive scores. Conclusion:In spite of environmental changes influencing physical activity and diabetes, cognitive function was not apparently affected. Although the immigrants lives were marked with hardship, their depressive scores were unexpectedly lower than Japanese, probably due to their stronger mental activity.
Early Onset Alzheimer Type Dementia More Rapidly Deteriorates than Late Onset Type: A Follow‐up Study on MMSE Scores in Japanese Patients
Authors: Arai Heii , Tsubaki Hiroe , Mitsuyama Yoshio , Fujimoto Naoki , Urata Yasuo , Homma Akira 
Published: August 2007

Background:Cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer type dementia (ATD) changes over time, and the rate of progression varies according to reports. An aim of the study is to examine the rate of progression in patients with ATD by the onset of the disease. Methods:Forty patients with early onset dementia at the age of 65 or less and 99 patients with late onset dementia at the age of more than 65 years in whom Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores could be followed up for at least 12 months were enrolled and examined retrospectively for changes in MMSE scores over time. Results:It was demonstrated that the rate of decrease in MMSE scores was significantly higher in Alzheimer disease (AD) than in senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) and that the decrease in MMSE scores was significantly slower in patients with higher initial scores. Conclusion:ATD patients are likely to be classified into AD or SDAT for evaluation of decreased cognitive function. Initial MMSE score and the subtype according to age at onset are important predictors for the progression of intellectual impairment in ATD patients.
Prevalence of Dementia Among the Elderly in a Japanese Community Population—Comparative Study on the 1983 and 1996 Survey: The Aichi Study
Authors: Shibayama Hiroto , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Nakagawa Makoto , Marui Yasuo , Miyachi Tatsuo , Kayukawa Yuhei , Yamada Kenichi , Iwata Hiromu , Takeuchi Tohru , Iwai Kiyoshi , Kogawa Susumu , Kagawa Naoki , Imai Makoto , Mizuno Yutaka , Hashimoto Naoki , Ibuki Yasuo , Ogasawara Shunichiro , Tadano Fumiyasu , Nakagawa Takeo , Ohta Tatsuro 
Published: August 2007

Background:An epidemiological survey of dementia among community residents over 65 years of age in Aichi Prefecture (Japan) was conducted in 1983 and 1996. We compared the prevalence rates of dementia in 1996, with the previously published rates of 1983. Methods:The study employed a two‐stage design. First stage: A test based on the DSM‐III‐R criteria for dementia was administered to all participating residents, who were randomly drawn from the resident register (856,879) of Aichi Prefecture in 1995 (495,923 in 1983). Second stage: A detailed clinical and cognitive evaluation (including MMSE and neurological examination) of the subjects identified in the first stage was carried out by trained psychiatrists. Results:The prevalence rate for dementia in 1996 was 4.8% (moderate and severe 2.1%) compared with 5.8% (2.2%) in 1983; for senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) it was 2.8% in 1996 and 2.4% in 1983; for cerebrovascular dementia (CVD), 1.8% in 1996 and 2.8% in 1983. Conclusion:Up to this time, the cases of CVD have been more frequent than those of SDAT in Japan, especially in the urban areas. However, the relationship between CVD and SDAT has now reversed. These data suggest that SDAT is a common condition and that its public health impact will continue to increase with the increasing longevity of the population in Japan.
Late‐Onset Depressive Episodes in the Elderly: Examination of Evidence for a Separate Nosological Entity
Authors: Artero Sylvaine , Ritchie Karen 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: Depression in the elderly is common, and while sharing many of the features of early‐onset depression, differences in presenting symptomatology, family history of affective disorder, and prognosis together raise the possibility that late‐life depression may constitute a disease subtype or even a separate nosological entity.A review of the literature over the past 30 years with relation to depression in elderly cohorts was used as the basis for examining to what extent present evidence confirmed the existence of a separate entity according to predetermined criteria.Comparisons of clinical cohorts suggest quantitative rather than qualitative differences and are inconclusive due to disparities in methodology which preclude meta‐analysis.Depression in the elderly appears to be commonly attributable to comorbidity, in particular ageing‐related vascular changes, rather than genetic factors. It is thus more likely to be a syndrome due to varying underlying causes rather than a separate disease entity.
Quantitative Analysis of Presenilin‐1 mRNA Expression in Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease Brain
Authors: Baba Hajime , Ohnuma Tohru , Shibata Nobuto , Takahashi Tadashi , Arai Heii 
Published: August 2007

Background: The majority of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) is caused by mutations in the presenilin‐1 (PS‐1) or presenilin‐2 (PS‐2) genes. The neuropathological changes in both FAD and sporadic late‐onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) are similar, suggesting that they share a common etiological pathway. Despite many attempts to investigate the function of PS in sporadic AD, no consensus has been reached as to the levels of expression in sporadic AD. Methods: PS‐1 mRNA content was measured in the frontal cortex of post‐mortem human brains from four sporadic AD cases and five controls. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using a LightCycler rapid thermal cycler (Roche) with SYBR Green I fluorescence. Results: The results showed that the content of PS‐1 mRNA in the frontal cortex of sporadic AD cases was higher than those in controls (p<0.05). Conclusion: We quantified PS‐1 mRNA in the frontal cortex from sporadic AD and controls with a quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase‐PCR (RT‐PCR) method. We found that the PS‐1 mRNA content in sporadic AD was higher than in controls suggesting that up‐regulated PS‐1 expression may be associated with some of the pathological changes found in sporadic AD.
Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Erkinjuntti Timo , Rockwood Kenneth 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: The term vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is now employed to capture the spectrum of illness and disability arising from impaired cognitive function of vascular origin. As such, it supplants the more narrowly focussed terms “Vascular dementia (VaD)” and “multi‐infarct dementia”. It is meant to include both those whose cognitive impairment is different from that assumed by the usual criteria for dementia. Traditionally, dementia criteria have been modelled on AD, a disorder with more characteristic neuropathological and clinical disease expression than is seen in VaD, which can occur in many forms. VCI is common, and is associated with many adverse outcomes, including worse cognition, institutionalization, and death.One form of VCI is coincident AD and VaD, a category which, although it has been comparatively neglected, may be amongst the most common forms of dementia. Another common form of VCI has a predilection for subcortical ischemic lesions, and for a clinical presentation which reflects frontal and subcortical involvement.At present, there is no specific treatment for VCI, although several agents appear to offer the hope of both treatment and prevention. Further research on the clinical, pathological and mechanistic underpinnings of this important syndrome is needed. For a long time, VaD has been recognized as the second most common cause of dementia.1,2) More recently, however, the concept of cognitive impairment in relation to cerebrovascular disease has been expanded. This paper will review the notion of “vascular cognitive impairment” (VCI) as it relates to clinical practice, and to our understanding of disease mechanisms in dementia and related disorders. It will propose that while the expanded concept has merit, within it are to be found distinct subgroups, including some of particular importance as targets for clinical trials of therapeutic and even preventive interventions.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Inter‐peak Latency of Auditory Event‐related Potentials (P300) in Cases of Aged Schizophrenia and Alzheimer‐type Dementia
Authors: Sumi Noriaki , Harada Kazuyoshi , Fujimoto Osamu , Taguchi Satoki , Ohta Yoshitaka , Nan‐no Hisashige , Hanatani Takashi , Takeda Masatoshi 
Published: August 2007

Background: Both patients with schizophrenia and those with dementia show cognitive difficulties, and in many cases of schizophrenia the cognitive disturbance is progressive, as it is in dementia. Event‐related potentials have revealed cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia and dementia, but most studies of event‐related potentials in cases of psychiatric illness or dementia have focused on the single peak latency of the event‐related potential components. In the present study, we investigated the cognitive function in elderly patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer‐type dementia (AID) using auditory event‐related potentials (P300). Methods: P300 was recorded using the tone discrimination task and peak latencies for N1, P2, N2 and P3 at the Pz electrode site were measured. In addition to analyzing peak latencies of P300, we also analyzed inter‐peak latencies (IPL; N1‐P2, P2‐N2, and N2‐P3). Twenty‐two elderly residual‐type schizophrenics and 36 patients with AID were compared with 39 age‐matched healthy volunteers. Results: The mean latencies of P3 and mean IPL of P2‐N2 in elderly schizophrenic patients were longer than those of the controls. In ATD the mean latencies of N2 and P3 and the mean IPL of P2‐N2 were longer than those of the controls. When the mean latencies of ATD patients were compared with those in patients with schizophrenia, P2, N2, and P3 latencies and N1‐P2 and P2‐N2 IPL were longer. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a similar impairment of the cognitive process is found in elderly patients with schizophrenia and those with ATD and that the degree of the impairment of patients with ATD is more severe than that of elderly patients with schizophrenia.
Electroconvulsive Therapy: Issues in the Elderly
Authors: Das Arunava , Chiu Edmond 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: The elderly psychiatrically ill constitute a high proportion of the patients who receive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). There is evidence to say that the efficacy of ECT may be enhanced in the elderly. Clinical and biological markers are increasingly being recognised as predictors of outcome to ECT.The doses of anticholinergic, anaesthetic and relaxant agents may need to be modified in accordance with physiological changes associated with aging. ECT stimulus and ECT technique should be selected against the background of increased seizure threshold and possibility of greater ECT‐induced cognitive dysfunction in the elderly, particularly those with pre‐existing cognitive or neurologic impairment.New brain‐imaging techniques and biochemical measures of brain damage have proved that ECT does not cause brain damage. The physical risk with ECT is considered to be low. There is some evidence to say that cardiovascular complications reported with ECT are related to the nature of pre‐existing cardiac disease.Although the short‐term response to ECT in the elderly is quite good, post‐ECT relapse rates are quite high. Continuation‐maintenance ECT has a definite role in minimising relapses and recurrences in the elderly, taking care not to enhance physical and cognitive risks. With increasing administration of outpatient ECT, it is important to refine methods for monitoring patients for adverse effects of treatment.The roles of repetitive trans‐cranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in geriatric psychiatry are yet to be established.
Analysis of Clinical and Neuroimaging Course of Four Patients with Left Side Dominant Fronto‐temporal Lobar Atrophy
Authors: Katsuragi Toshio , Saito Atsushi , Iizuka Hiroshi , Iseki Eizo , Amano Naoji , Kosaka Kenji 
Published: August 2007

Background: Patients with left side dominant fronto‐temporal lobar atrophy, as an example of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), are occasionally recognized. The concept of PPA is based on symptomatology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical course and follow‐up neuroimaging in patients with left side dominant atrophy, especially, during the incipient stage. Methods: The subjects consist of four right‐handed patients showing left side dominant fronto‐temporal lobar atrophy on brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. They were analyzed using changes in clinical symptoms, electroencephalopathy (EEG), and neuroimaging course within a few years of diagnosis. Results: Three of four patients had symptoms of PPA incipiently. The neuroimaging of three patients revealed a reduction in the asymmetrical anterior temporal gyri including the hippocampus on the left and progressed to bilateral fronto‐temporal lobar atrophy within a few years. Conclusion: One patient was clinically diagnosed as having Pick's disease, and three patients had probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), based on the clinical course and the findings of EEG and brain neuroimaging including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). These results suggest the possibilities that the patients with PPA may eventually develop AD. Moreover we confirmed that patients with left side dominant atrophy may generally progress to bilateral fronto‐temporal lobar atrophy within a few years.
The Effect of Poststroke Depression on Recovery from Stroke
Authors: Tateno Amane , Robinson Robert G. 
Published: August 2007

Background: Stroke is a major health problem and poststroke depression is known to be one of the frequent and severe psychiatric complications following stroke.Methods: Based on the results of structured psychiatric mental state exams and DSM diagnostic criteria, the prevalence of poststroke depression has been examined in numerous study populations throughout the world. Longitudinal examinations have documented the effect of poststroke depression on recovery from stroke.Results: The mean prevalence of poststroke major depression was 21.1 % and minor depression was 17.1% among hospitalized or outpatient samples. Community samples showed a slightly lower rate of 14.1% and 9.1%, respectively. Furthermore, the existence of poststroke depression leads to poorer physical recovery, greater cognitive impairment, and worse recovery in activities of daily living compared with non‐depressed patients. Several studies have also found that poststroke depression is associated with increased mortality compared with non‐depressed patients who had comparable strokes and similar premorbid risk factors. Finally, several studies have found that successful treatment of poststroke depression improves both cognitive and physical recovery and decreases mortality.Conclusion: The current review documents the beneficial effect of identifying and treating poststroke depression on both recovery and survival following stroke.