Bakker, Arnold, Krauss, Gregory L., Albert, Marilyn S., Speck, Caroline L., Jones, Lauren R., Stark, Craig E., Yassa, Michael A., Bassett, Susan S., Shelton, Amy L., Gallagher, Michela

Elevated hippocampal activation is observed in conditions that confer risk for Alzheimer’s disease, including amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Studies in relevant animal models have indicated that overactivity in selective hippocampal circuits contributes to cognitive impairment. Here, we tested the effect of reducing hippocampal activation in aMCI. Under placebo treatment, hippocampal activation in the dentate […]

van Beek, Arenda H. E. A., Sijbesma, Jaap C., Jansen, Rene W. M. M., Rikkert, Marcel G. M. Olde, Claassen, Jurgen A. H. R.

Cerebrovascular function and structure of the cortical cerebral microvessels are profoundly altered in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The functional hemodynamic consequences of such changes, however, remain essentially unknown. Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) potentially affect brain perfusion through either augmentation or inhibition of cerebral vasodilatation. This study investigated the cerebrovascular regulation during postural changes in AD […]

Rosen, Allyson C., Sugiura, Lisa, Kramer, Joel H., Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan, Gabrieli, John D.

A randomized pilot experiment examined the neural substrates of response to cognitive training in participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants performed exercises previously demonstrated to improve verbal memory and an active control group performed other computer activities. An auditory-verbal fMRI task was conducted before and after the two-month training program. Verbal memory scores improved […]

Venneri, Annalena, McGeown, William J., Shanks, Michael F.

Clinical trials of cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) drugs, although generally reporting only minimal improvements in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), indicate that a subgroup of patients may respond substantially to treatment. This study aimed to assess the clinically variable ChEI treatment effects in a group of patients with mild AD using a semantic association and an […]

van Paasschen, J., Clare, L., Yuen, K. S. L., Woods, R. T., Evans, S. J., Parkinson, C. H., Rugg, M. D., Linden, D. E. J.

Background: People with Alzheimer disease (AD) are capable of new learning when cognitive support is provided, suggesting that there is plasticity even in a degenerating brain. However, it is unclear how a cognition-focused intervention operates on a neural level.; Objective: The present study examined the effects of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) on memory-related brain activation in […]