Partial improvement in performance of patients with severe Alzheimer's disease at an early stage of fornix deep brain stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Deep brain stimulation is a therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) that has previously been used for mainly mild to moderate cases. This study provides the first evidence of early alterations in performance induced by stimulation targeted at the fornix in severe AD patients. The performance of the five cases enrolled in this study was scored with specialized assessments including the Mini-Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating, both before and at an early stage after deep brain stimulation. The burden of caregivers was also evaluated using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. As a whole, the cognitive performance of patients remained stable or improved to varying degrees, and caregiver burden was decreased. Individually, an improved mental state or social performance was obse

SUBMITTER: Mao ZQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6199932 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature