title: [Neuropsychological study of decline of attention and drug therapy of patients with Alzheimer's disease].
abstract: The present study provided a neuropsychological assessment of impaired attention in Alzheimer's patients (57-89 years of age). Three control groups were evaluated: young normals (ages 18-32 years of age), an older group (55-69 years of age), and an elderly group (70-85 years of age). Alzheimer's patients showed an absence of CNV rebound and impairment in attention performance. They also showed significantly less facilitation in speed of response by a preparatory signal than the non-patient groups. These findings suggested a possible discontinuity between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, a comparison of young, normal elderly, and Alzheimer's groups indicated a pattern of systematic decrease in CNV rebound, lowered short-term memory performance, and slowing of reaction time during divided-attention, a finding that suggests normal aging and senile dementia to represent quantitative differences on a continuum of gradual age-related deterioration. Alzheimer's patients showed elevated levels of basal heart rate and eyeblink rate and increased oculomotor responsiveness in divided-attention conditions. This finding was interpreted as compelling evidence against the concept of hypoactivity in senile dementia and as support for a distraction-arousal interpretation of impaired attention in Alzheimer's patients, although decreased basal myogenic activity and lowered heart rate levels during divided attention in the patients indicated selectively dampened psycho-physiological functioning. Distraction-arousal processes appeared to be curtailed in the patient group after Hydergine treatment.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D001767:Blinking; D003071:Cognition; D004088:Dihydroergotoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004088:Dihydroergotoxine
vernacular_title: Etude neuropsychologique de la baisse de l'attention et traitement médicamenteux chez les malades atteints de maladie d'Alzheimer.