期刊
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
卷 27, 期 1, 页码 78-87出版社
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2004.12.005
关键词
mild cognitive impairment; fMRI; episodic memory; spatial navigation; acetylcholine; Alzheimer
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Chief complaint and diagnostic criterion in subjects with mild cognitive impairment is memory failure. We hypothesized that cholinergic malfunction may underlie memory impairment in these subjects and applied a low dosage of an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and modulator of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, galantamine (4 mg bid), for 7 days. We used neuropsychological tests to investigate attention, cognitive flexibility, verbal and visual short-term and working memory, susceptibility to interference and episodic memory and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess spatial navigation both prior to and after treatment. Late episodic learning and delayed recall improved on treatment as did recruitment of the hippocampal region during spatial navigation. Performance in all other neuropsychological measures remained unchanged. We show that an increase of cholinergic neurotransmission in subjects with MCI specifically improves hippocampal function and thus that a cholinergic deficit is functionally relevant in subjects with MCI. Malfunction of the cholinergic system may be tackled pharmacologically via the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase even when the impairment is slight. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据