The amnestic syndrome of the medial temporal type, defined by the Free and Cued Selective Recall Reminding Test, is able to distinguish patients at an early stage of Alzheimer disease from mild cognitive impairment non-converters.

SUMMARYWe present the first results of a cognitive stimulation programme for patients with dementia. Fifty-six subjects entered a study involving two parallel, randomized groups. Assessment was blind for the main criteria (neuropsychological tests). Twenty-nine patients were stimulated and were compared to 27 non-stimulated patients. The stimulated group attended 10 stimulation sessions over 5 weeks. Each group was assessed on the first and seventh week. It has been held that after initial development, the adult brain does not have the capability of regenerating or otherwise showing significant plasticity (Cajal, 1928). More recently, however, neurobiology research has shown that brain structures and networks have the potential to be modified under appropriate circumstances. In the late sixties and early seventies, the first evidence of regeneration within the central nervous system was demonstrated by Raisman (Raisman, 1969) and by Bjorklund and his colleagues Katzman et al., 1971). Animal (Brailowsky and

These findings challenge current management practices of Alzheimer's patients. While cognitive-oriented group therapies have gained popularity, this trial does not show improvement for the patients. The individualized cognitive rehabilitation intervention provided clinically significant results. Individual interventions should be considered to delay institutionalization in Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this study was to explore perceived difficulties and needs of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their attitudes toward an assistive robot to develop appropriate robot functionalities. Twenty subjects were recruited to participate in either a focus group or an interview. Findings revealed that although participants reported difficulties in managing some of their daily activities, they did not see themselves as needing assistance. Indeed, they considered that they were capable of coping with difficulties with some compensatory strategies. They therefore declared that they did not need or want a robot for the moment but that they considered it potentially useful either for themselves in the future or for other older adults suffering from frailty, loneliness, and disability. Factors underlying unwillingness to adopt an assistive robot were discussed. These issues should be carefully addressed in the design and diffusion processes of an assistive robot.

The PEP had no additional impact on patients but carers developed more effective disease understanding and ability of coping. Results support the idea that the PEP although improving caregivers' condition is not sufficient to improve patients' activities in daily life which requires additional individually tailored interventions provided by professionals.

Although further studies are needed for more details on the impact of cognitive stimulation programs on MCI patients, this intervention is effective in compensating associative memory difficulties of these patients. Among non-pharmacological interventions, cognitive stimulation therapy is a repeatable and inexpensive collective method that can easily be provided to various populations with the aim of slowing down the rate of decline in elderly persons with cognitive impairment.

Though both traditional and computer-based cognitive intervention programmes seem to be effective, the computer-based ones present more advantages: 1) they could individualize the programme tailored to the patient's neuropsychological pattern and needs. 2) they permit the user to make an immediate objective comparison with data collected earlier and thus help in setting up a systematic training plan by providing instant value-free feedback. 3) they offer a possibility of a widescale dissemination.

The measurement of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) is common in clinical practice and research into dementia. IADL are cognitively complex daily activities, such as cooking and doing finances. Their measurement is required for the diagnostic process of dementia, and also useful for the monitoring of disease progression. Since problems in IADL contribute to the disease burden of both patient and caregiver, it is a relevant outcome measure for disease-modifying and non-pharmacological interventions. Despite the widespread use of IADL instruments, an overview of its theoretical background, measurement methods, and potential sources of bias is lacking. In the current manuscript, we therefore aim to provide a selective overview of these topics.