Biomaterial Database

Primitive reflexes in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. 1995

F W Vreeling, and P J Houx, and J Jolles, and F R Verhey

Department of Neurology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Data on the prevalence and clinical value of primitive reflexes (PRs) in dementia are controversial, mainly due to a lack of standardization of the methods by which these signs are elicited and scored. A standardized protocol was used to investigate eight PRs in 20 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 20 patients with vascular dementia (VD), and 20 control subjects for each group. Both patient groups showed considerably more PRs than the control groups. The prevalence of PRs was related to the severity of dementia. No single reflex or combination of PR pathognomonic for dementia could be distinguished. The PR profile of AD and VD patients were similar.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D012018	Reflex	An involuntary movement or exercise of function in a part, excited in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the brain or spinal cord.
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D000544	Alzheimer Disease	A degenerative disease of the BRAIN characterized by the insidious onset of DEMENTIA. Impairment of MEMORY, judgment, attention span, and problem solving skills are followed by severe APRAXIAS and a global loss of cognitive abilities. The condition primarily occurs after age 60, and is marked pathologically by severe cortical atrophy and the triad of SENILE PLAQUES; NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES; and NEUROPIL THREADS. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1049-57)	Acute Confusional Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Dementia, Senile,Presenile Alzheimer Dementia,Senile Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Alzheimer Dementia,Alzheimer Disease, Early Onset,Alzheimer Disease, Late Onset,Alzheimer Sclerosis,Alzheimer Syndrome,Alzheimer Type Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Disease,Alzheimer's Disease, Focal Onset,Alzheimer-Type Dementia (ATD),Dementia, Presenile,Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative,Early Onset Alzheimer Disease,Familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD),Focal Onset Alzheimer's Disease,Late Onset Alzheimer Disease,Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia,Senile Dementia, Acute Confusional,Alzheimer Dementias,Alzheimer Disease, Familial (FAD),Alzheimer Diseases,Alzheimer Type Dementia,Alzheimer Type Dementia (ATD),Alzheimers Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer,Dementia, Alzheimer-Type (ATD),Familial Alzheimer Diseases (FAD),Presenile Dementia,Sclerosis, Alzheimer,Senile Dementia
D012720	Severity of Illness Index	Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder.	Illness Index Severities,Illness Index Severity
D015140	Dementia, Vascular	An imprecise term referring to dementia associated with CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS, including CEREBRAL INFARCTION (single or multiple), and conditions associated with chronic BRAIN ISCHEMIA. Diffuse, cortical, and subcortical subtypes have been described. (From Gerontol Geriatr 1998 Feb;31(1):36-44)	Arteriosclerotic Dementia,Binswanger Disease,Encephalopathy, Binswanger,Leukoencephalopathy, Subcortical,Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathy,Vascular Dementia,Acute Onset Vascular Dementia,Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathy, Subcortical,Binswanger Encephalopathy,Binswanger's Disease,Chronic Progressive Subcortical Encephalopathy,Encephalopathy, Binswanger's,Encephalopathy, Chronic Progressive Subcortical,Encephalopathy, Subcortical Arteriosclerotic,Encephalopathy, Subcortical, Chronic Progressive,Subcortical Encephalopathy, Chronic Progressive,Subcortical Leukoencephalopathy,Subcortical Vascular Dementia,Vascular Dementia, Acute Onset,Arteriosclerotic Dementias,Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathies, Subcortical,Binswanger's Encephalopathy,Binswangers Disease,Dementia, Arteriosclerotic,Dementia, Subcortical Vascular,Dementias, Arteriosclerotic,Dementias, Subcortical Vascular,Dementias, Vascular,Disease, Binswanger,Disease, Binswanger's,Encephalopathies, Subcortical Arteriosclerotic,Encephalopathy, Binswangers,Leukoencephalopathies, Subcortical,Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathies,Subcortical Leukoencephalopathies,Subcortical Vascular Dementias,Vascular Dementia, Subcortical,Vascular Dementias,Vascular Dementias, Subcortical