Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal degeneration

Dekker, Alain D., et al. “Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in Down Syndrome: Early indicators of clinical Alzheimer’s disease?” Cortex 73 (2015): 36-61. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2015.07.032.

The authors of this research review aimed at evaluating the knowledge available on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD)in Down Syndrome (DS) and how it relates to Alzheimer. According to the researchers, there is a risk of people with Down Syndrome to have dementia if they have Alzheimer disorder. However, PBSD has not been assessed comprehensively in the population with Down Syndrome. This review study concluded that since BPSD can be seen before dementia diagnosis, it can provide an early indicator of DS and therefore enable therapeutic interventions.

This research study was published at Cortex, which is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal publication in the field of neurology. The journal articles are published semimonthly by Elsevier. This journal is highly credited on studies related to mental processes and nervous system. Therefore, the article is a credible source of academic information. The lead authors include Alain Dekker, who works with Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Research Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands and Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behaviour, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium and hence has experience in this field.

Jarmolowicz, A. I., Chen, H.-Y., & Panegyres, P. K. (2015). The Patterns of Inheritance in         Early-Onset Dementia: Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia. American        Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias®, 30(3), 299–306.             doi:10.1177/1533317514545825

The authors of this original research paper aimed at understanding early-onset dementia by investigating the inheritance and gene mutation patterns in people. The study was carried out on 120 patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s disorder (EOD) and 82 with early-onset frontotemporal dementia (EOFTD) where most of the patients had no dementia history in their families. A dominant pattern of inheritance was observed in both samples while only a small proportion had known gene mutations. This led to the conclusion that early –onset dementia is not an inherited autosomal dominant disorder.

This study was published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias which is a leading publication in neurology. The study was peer-reviewed before publishing which implies that it was certified and validated for accuracy. Also, the authors had indicated no conflict of interest of any kind and therefore the research was well conducted. The lead authors of the research include Anna I. Jarmolowicz, Huei-Yang Chen, and Peter K. Panegyres who all work with the Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Pty Ltd, Subiaco, West Perth, Australia. This implies that the researchers were knowledgeable on the subject and hence the information is credible.

Rabinovici, G. D., Seeley, W. W., Kim, E. J., Gorno-Tempini, M. L., Rascovsky, K., Pagliaro,          T. A., … Rosen, H. J. (2008). Distinct MRI Atrophy Patterns in Autopsy-Proven          Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. American Journal of   Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias®, 22(6), 474–488. `            doi:10.1177/1533317507308779

This original research study aimed at defining the anatomic differences between frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The authors conducted a retrospective voxel-based morphometry to brain scans of 11 individuals with an autopsy-proven AD, 18 with FTLD, and 40 people without any of the two conditions were used as controls. The scans for AD showed a reduction in gray matter in occipital cortex and posterior temporoparietal, FTLD images revealed atrophy in medial prefrontal and temporal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, and dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortex showed atrophy in both cases. The study concluded that anatomically, AD and FTLD are distinct.

This study was published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, which is a leading peer-reviewed academic journal published in the field of neurology. The articles are published by SAGE Publications and therefore it is a credible source of academic journal articles. Furthermore, the paper had no conflict of interest declared and hence can be ranked as a quality academic research paper. The authors of this paper are medical doctors at the Departments of Neurology and Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, and therefore has knowledge on the subject.