Showing papers on "Cognitive decline published in 1982"

The Global Deterioration Scale for assessment of primary degenerative dementia.

Abstract: Cognitive decline associated with old age and consistent with the diagnosis of primary degenerative dementia is a unique clinical syndrome with characteristic phenomena and progression The authors describe a Global Deterioration Scale for the assessment of primary degenerative dementia and delineation of its stages The authors have used the Global Deterioration Scale successfully for more than 5 years and have validated it against behavioral, neuroanatomic, and neurophysiologic measures in patients with primary degenerative dementia

Delirium and dementia: diagnostic criteria and fatality rates.

Abstract: Medically ill patients diagnosed at index admission as delirious, i.e., suffering cognitive decline and an altered state of consciousness, had higher fatality rates than demented, cognitively intact or depressed patients. At a one-year follow-up the death rate of those who had been delirious was still higher than that of demented patients. Delirious patients were more likely to have a diffusely slow EEG, tachycardia and hyperthermia and lower mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These result validate the distinction between delirium and dementia and the importance of alteration of consciousness as a defining characteristics of delirium.

Social interaction and social cognition in aging. A contextual analysis.

Abstract: The focus of the present study was on the relationship between levels of social interaction and social cognitive abilities of elderly people. Measures of social interaction consisted of a series of quantitative descriptors regarding the magnitude and diversity of social role involvement. Measures of social cognition consisted of (1) person perception; (2) conceptualization of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems, and (3) ability to coordinate multiple points of view. Subjects were 122 non-institutionalized males and females ranging in age from 65 to 89 years. A positive and significant relationship between levels of social interaction and social cognition was found. Levels of social interaction were a more significant predictor of cognitive decline than age, and age by itself did not predict levels of cognitive functioning in the elderly. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for advancing a more positive model of aging in which an individual’s social context rather than age is treated as a parameter of development.

The Neuropsychological Evaluation of Dementia

Abstract: We compared behavioral and neuropsychological test findings of two patients referred for evaluation of cognitive decline and difficulty with memory, one of whom had a neurological diagnosis of Alzh...

Piracetam in the treatment of cognitive impairment in the elderly

Abstract: Reisberg, B., S.H. Ferris, M.K. Schneck, J. Corwin, P. Mir, E. Friedman, K.A. Sherman, M. McCarthy, and R.T. Bartus: Piracetam in the treatment of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Drug Dev. Res. 2: 475–480, 1982. Piracetam (Nootropil, 2-oxopyrrolidone acetamide) has been extensively investigated for the treatment of cognitive impairment. Initial studies on normal subjects and patients with mild or moderate cognitive decline have been somewhat encoruaging. Accordingly, we conducted a further evaluation of the effects of piracetam in the treatment of elderly outpatients 60 to 85 years of age with mild to moderate memory impairment consistent with a diagnosis of Primary Degenerative Dementia (PDD). In our first study, we examined the effects of piracetam in 20 patients. All patients received 7.2 g of piracetam and placebo for 4 weeks in accordance with a double-blind, randomized treatment order, crossover design with 1-week washout periods prior to each crossover period. Hence, the total study period for each patient was 10 weeks (1-4-1-4). An analysis of 43 psychometric measures revealed significant improvement (P < 0.05) in only three measures, all favoring the treatment condition. Recent findings support a rationale for examining the effects of piracetam in conjunction with cholinergic precursors in patients with cognitive decline. In our second study we conducted a 1-week open trial of 1.6 g of piracetam t.i.d. in conjunction with 3 g of choline cholride t.i.d. in 15 patients. Four patients were rated as clinically improved. These “responders” were all subjects with moderate cognitive impairment. The responders showed much higher RBC choline levels than the nonresponders, both at baseline and during treatment. We conclude that the present evidence indicates that the effects of piracetam treatment alone in elderly outpatients with mild to moderate congnitive decline are subtle and not of proven clinical significance. However, studies of longer duration and of piracetam in combination with other agents may eventually show genuine clinical utility.

Learning and Memory Deficits in Institutionalized and Noninstitutionalized Old People

Abstract: This chapter addresses several issues related to declining learning and memory performance in the aged. In particular, attention is focused on the role of interference, which for many years was regarded as the single most important factor underlying cognitive decline in old people. Recently, however, it has become apparent that, despite its parsimony and wide appeal, the interference hypothesis lacks a solid empirical base. Design flaws in some of the relevant studies and conflicting results in others have raised considerable doubt as to whether the aged are indeed more susceptible to interference than the young. In view of the theoretical and practical importance of this controversy, a systematic examination of interference effects was undertaken and results of this research are reported here.

Locus of Control and Long-term Care

Abstract: Locus of control is a variable of high interest in the assessment and behavior of the elderly in long-term care (LTC) facilities This study uses a situation-specific locus of control (LOC) index and controls for the influential variables in an LTC setting: age, education, sex, depression, and cognitive decline Having an in ternal LOC proved to influence various adjustment measures, including behavior rating, perception of environment, and psychiatric factors The value and use of such a specialized LOC measure in LTC settings are stressed and discussed