Identification of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly: Homocysteine Is an Early Marker

In 336 consecutive patients attending a university-affiliated memory unit, clinical and psychological findings, neuroimaging and laboratory tests were analyzed. The patients were diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease 3%, senile dementia (SDAT) 16%, vascular dementia (VAD) 20%, other dementias 9%,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders 1999-01, Vol.10 (1), p.12-20
Main Authors: Lehmann, Martin, Gottfries, C.G., Regland, Björn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Alleles
Apolipoproteins E - blood
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers
Brain - pathology
Cognition Disorders - blood
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognition Disorders - psychology
Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes
Electroencephalography
Female
Homocysteine - blood
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Original Research Article
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Regression Analysis
Risk Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In 336 consecutive patients attending a university-affiliated memory unit, clinical and psychological findings, neuroimaging and laboratory tests were analyzed. The patients were diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease 3%, senile dementia (SDAT) 16%, vascular dementia (VAD) 20%, other dementias 9%, minor cognitive impairment (dysmentia) 32% and subjective symptoms only 21%. Increases in vascular risk factors, serum homocysteine, ApoE4 load and neuroimaging pathology were found in dementia but also in dysmentia and in patients with subjective symptoms only. The homocysteine levels correlated inversely with cognitive performance. The increases in serum homocysteine, which were pathological in VAD, Dysmentia and SDAT, may be indicative of a disturbed cerebral one-carbon metabolism and signal-accelerated development of cognitive disease.
ISSN:1420-8008
1421-9824
DOI:10.1159/000017092