The use of nortriptyline and paroxetine in the treatment of depression does not affect cognitive functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the higher the baseline performance on measures of executive functioning, speed of processing, and verbal memory, the better the response to antidepressant treatment, according to results presented here at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 134th Annual Meeting.
"This is one of the few studies to examine the impact of antidepressant treatment on cognition in PD patients with depression," said Roseanne D. Dobkin, PhD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey.
More than 1 million people are affected by PD in the United States alone. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the country, said Dr. Dobkin on October 10.
"Depression is one of the most common nonmotor symptoms of PD, affecting as many as half of these patients," she added.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE"
Showing posts with label cognition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cognition. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Cognitive and Global Outcome in Schizophrenia Patients Related to Course of Disease, Not Antipsychotic Type: Presented at ECNP
In patients with chronic schizophrenia, the type of antipsychotic treatment (typical or atypical) is not as important for long-term cognitive and social functioning, according to the results of a study presented here at the 21st European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress (ECNP).
Research in the field of neuropsychopharmacology has been indicating a beneficial influence of atypical antipsychotic treatment on cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia, but there have been contradictory findings as well.
"In our study, we compared the patients' functioning with their present medication," explained Agnieszka Kalwa, PhD student, Independent Pharmacotherapy Unit, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland, at a poster presentation on September 2.
The study assessed the relationship between the type of current antipsychotic therapy and the cognitive, clinical, and global social outcome in 30 patients with a duration of disease ranging from 29 to 36 years.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Research in the field of neuropsychopharmacology has been indicating a beneficial influence of atypical antipsychotic treatment on cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia, but there have been contradictory findings as well.
"In our study, we compared the patients' functioning with their present medication," explained Agnieszka Kalwa, PhD student, Independent Pharmacotherapy Unit, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland, at a poster presentation on September 2.
The study assessed the relationship between the type of current antipsychotic therapy and the cognitive, clinical, and global social outcome in 30 patients with a duration of disease ranging from 29 to 36 years.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Monday, April 21, 2008
Common Medications May Harm Memory in Older People - Those on anticholinergic drugs had sharper declines in thinking skills, study finds
Common medications known as anticholinergic drugs -- used to treat ulcers, stomach cramps, motion sickness, Parkinson's disease and urinary incontinence -- may cause older people to lose their thinking skills more quickly than seniors who don't take the medicines, new research suggests.
"What we found is being on these drugs does worsen your cognitive performance," said Dr. Jack Tsao, an associate professor of neurology at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., who led the study of the effect of the medications on older adults who were, on average, 75. "In the course of a few years, there is a small slippage. It's a minor effect."
Medications for bladder problems and Parkinson's appear to have the worst effect on memory, he said.
Anticholinergic drugs are a class of medicines that work by blocking the binding of a brain chemical called acetylcholine to its receptor in nerve cells.
"You need acetylcholine for [good] memory," Tsao explained. Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's inhibit the enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine, he said, allowing more of it to be used by the brain.
Tsao was expected to present his research Thursday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Chicago.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
"What we found is being on these drugs does worsen your cognitive performance," said Dr. Jack Tsao, an associate professor of neurology at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., who led the study of the effect of the medications on older adults who were, on average, 75. "In the course of a few years, there is a small slippage. It's a minor effect."
Medications for bladder problems and Parkinson's appear to have the worst effect on memory, he said.
Anticholinergic drugs are a class of medicines that work by blocking the binding of a brain chemical called acetylcholine to its receptor in nerve cells.
"You need acetylcholine for [good] memory," Tsao explained. Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's inhibit the enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine, he said, allowing more of it to be used by the brain.
Tsao was expected to present his research Thursday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Chicago.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Mental acuity in seniors improving, study suggests
The brain function of Americans 70 and older appears to be improving, according to a study that found a smaller percentage of seniors with serious memory and language problems in 2002 than in 1993.
The finding, which researchers say is still preliminary, parallels an improvement in physical functioning among older Americans that is well documented.
"If this study is indeed confirmed and replicated, then it says that cognitive decline associated with aging is malleable," said Richard Suzman, director for behavioral and social research at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study. "There may be interventions that can be brought to bear to accelerate the trend. It's potentially very good news."
Although the study does not mean that every individual will live healthier into old age, it does suggest that as a whole, people are functioning at a higher level for longer periods. That could mean that more people will be able to live independently later in life, said Suzman.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
The finding, which researchers say is still preliminary, parallels an improvement in physical functioning among older Americans that is well documented.
"If this study is indeed confirmed and replicated, then it says that cognitive decline associated with aging is malleable," said Richard Suzman, director for behavioral and social research at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study. "There may be interventions that can be brought to bear to accelerate the trend. It's potentially very good news."
Although the study does not mean that every individual will live healthier into old age, it does suggest that as a whole, people are functioning at a higher level for longer periods. That could mean that more people will be able to live independently later in life, said Suzman.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
Thursday, December 20, 2007
More Keys To Maintain Your Brain
Here I continue with a subject I can't resist and can certainly use - a series of tips on how to maintain and enhance brainpower. (See earlier column from Dec. 13.) In introducing them, the authors of the book where I found them, You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty, Dr. Michael F. Roizen, of the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, of Columbia University, have some wise words: "There are many ways to keep your brain operating at maximum efficiency, maximum power, and maximum quality."
o get you into the right mood and eliminate any room for excuses, I'll start with a few of the easiest ones.
Feed On Brain Food. Yes, there is such a thing. Serve up one of our best friends, those omega-3 fatty acids found in greatest abundance in the fat of such fish as salmon, mahi-mahi, tuna and herring. These omega-3s have multiple beneficial effects: (1) They improve the function of your message-sending neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells), (2) they slow cognitive decline in people who are at risk, and (3) keep arteries clear, which means they also keep an adequate supply of blood flowing to the brain.
Drs. Roizen and Oz, the authors, suggest you aim for 13 ounces of fish a week, or if you prefer take two grams of metabolically distilled fish oil a day or DHA (a form of omega-3) from algae or an ounce of walnuts every day.
READ MORE @ THE BULLETIN
o get you into the right mood and eliminate any room for excuses, I'll start with a few of the easiest ones.
Feed On Brain Food. Yes, there is such a thing. Serve up one of our best friends, those omega-3 fatty acids found in greatest abundance in the fat of such fish as salmon, mahi-mahi, tuna and herring. These omega-3s have multiple beneficial effects: (1) They improve the function of your message-sending neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells), (2) they slow cognitive decline in people who are at risk, and (3) keep arteries clear, which means they also keep an adequate supply of blood flowing to the brain.
Drs. Roizen and Oz, the authors, suggest you aim for 13 ounces of fish a week, or if you prefer take two grams of metabolically distilled fish oil a day or DHA (a form of omega-3) from algae or an ounce of walnuts every day.
READ MORE @ THE BULLETIN
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Study Questions 'Real World' Benefits of Newer Antipsychotics
The second-generation antipsychotics may not change the compromised neurobiology that underlies cognitive deficits.
Are the cognitive benefits claimed by manufacturers of second-generation antipsychotics an artificial result of repetitive practice in test conditions?
That's what a randomized trial of risperidone and olanzapine comparing cognitive improvements among first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls suggests. Risperidone is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica as Risperdal, and olanzapine is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Zyprexa.
The study, reported in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, found that the cognitive improvements among patients were consistent in magnitude with the "practice effects"—the effects of exposure, familiarity, and procedural learning that naturally occur in test conditions—seen in healthy patients.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Are the cognitive benefits claimed by manufacturers of second-generation antipsychotics an artificial result of repetitive practice in test conditions?
That's what a randomized trial of risperidone and olanzapine comparing cognitive improvements among first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls suggests. Risperidone is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica as Risperdal, and olanzapine is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Zyprexa.
The study, reported in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, found that the cognitive improvements among patients were consistent in magnitude with the "practice effects"—the effects of exposure, familiarity, and procedural learning that naturally occur in test conditions—seen in healthy patients.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
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