„INVESTIGATION OF RISK FACTORS IN DIFFERENT SPECTRUMS OF COGNITIVE DECLINE”
Zsuffa János András
János Szentágothai Neurosciences
Dr. Bereczki Dániel
Semmelweis Egyetem Neurológiai Klinika Tanterme
2024-07-09 10:00:00
Dr. Horváth András Attila
Dr. Barótfiné Dr. Gulyás Szilva
Dr. Makkos Zoltán
Dr. Bereczki Dániel
Dr. Zsiros Viktória
Dr. Bokor Magdolna
Due to the prominent incidence and increasing prevalence, diseases that cause cognitive decline in elderly lead a huge burden on society. The focus of dementia research is gradually turning toward prevention measures because in most cases there is currently no causative treatment for cognitive decline.
Our first study showed that, in addition to the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elderly over 60 years, the consequences of epidemiological measures and social changes surrounding them are also significant for this group. Our study suggests that the elderly experienced both a deterioration in their lifestyle and subjective quality of life, as well as that pandemic-related restrictions had a detrimental impact at different levels of prevention. We found that physical immobility and reduced frequency of time spent with grandchildren were the most important predictors of subjective cognitive complaints among those who did not have COVID-19 infection. Our study highlights the importance of early prevention and the relevance of modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline. Moreover, our results draw attention to the importance of physical activity and close family ties as key aspects of healthy brain ageing that are often overlooked.
In the second study, we investigated the use of 24-hour EEG testing in Alzheimer's disease. We found that the prevalence of the subclinical epileptiform activity is much higher in Alzheimer's patients than in controls. We demonstrated that Alzheimer’s patients with subclinical epileptiform activity have lower performance in the memory and visuospatial domains of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination. We also found that Alzheimer’s patients with epileptiform discharges show significantly faster progression of cognitive deterioration in a 3-year follow-up repeated by neuropsychological tests. Our EEG study highlights the importance of epileptiform discharges in neurodegenerative disorders and their progression. Further long-term EEG studies could lead to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease.
It is still questionable which factors at the individual level play more important role in the onset, course, and progression of cognitive decline. Longitudinal studies may provide a way to understand the problem in more complex ways and to mitigate its impact.
