Linked Life Data

12499867

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/12499867

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
18
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-12-24
pubmed:abstractText
An individual's ability to see and react quickly to a target stimulus is enhanced if they are alerted to the arrival of this target by a stimulus that occurs just prior in time to it. This alerting effect is thought to occur due to a phasic increase in alertness mediated by noradrenergic activity. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) there is a dysfunction in the noradrenergic system resulting in a decrease in central levels of noradrenaline. We therefore predicted that patients with AD would not be able to benefit from the prior stimulus to the same extent as that seen in healthy older adults and thus would have a reduced or abolished alerting-effect. We measured reaction times to respond to a visual target that could be preceded (by 200 ms) by a visual alerting cue, in 17 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 19 age-matched controls and 13 younger controls. We found that the alerting cue significantly decreased the reaction times for both the young and old controls, but that this cue had no effect upon the reaction times for those with AD. This marked inability to increase phasic alertness in AD may contribute to the everyday problems faced by these patients, and may provide a simple tool to aid diagnosis and disease progression.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
0959-4965
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
20
pubmed:volume
13
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
2557-60
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
Phasic visual alertness in Alzheimer's disease and ageing.
pubmed:affiliation
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF11 3YG, Wales, UK. andrea.tales@north-bristol.swest.nhs.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't