OBJECTIVE:To analyze the effects of motor intervention on the neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and on the caregivers' burden.DESIGN:This is a controlled trial evaluating the effects of a motor intervention program on the neuropsychiatric symptoms.SETTING:The intervention was performed on community patients from two university centers specializing in physical exercise for the elderly.SUBJECTS:Patients with Alzheimer's disease were divided into two groups: sixteen received the motor intervention and sixteen controls (five controls were excluded because of clinical intercurrences).INTERVENTIONS:Aerobic exercises (flexibility, strength, and agility) and functional balance exercises were conducted over six months for 60 minutes three times per week.MAIN MEASURES:Psychopathological features of patients were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Caregivers were evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Distress and Burden Interview. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to observe interactions (pre- vs. post-intervention; participants vs. controls).RESULTS:Patients from the intervention presented a significant reduction in neuropsychiatric conditions when compared to controls (Neuropsychiatric Inventory: F∶11.12; p = 0.01; Cornell Depression scale: F∶11.97; p = 0.01). The burden and stress of caregivers responsible for patients who participated in the intervention significantly decreased when compared to caregivers responsible for controls (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Distress: F: 9.37; p = 0.01; Burden Interview: F: 11.28; p = 0.01).CONCLUSIONS:Aerobic exercise was associated with a reduction in the neuropsychiatric symptoms and contributed to attenuate the caregivers' burden. However, the researchers were not blinded to the patient's intervention status, which constitutes an important limitation of this study.

Although the exact cause of neuronal loss in Parkinson’s disease is not known, evidence points to oxidative stress and the production of reactive oxygen species as the main events that occur in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the brain of parkinsonians. EGb761 is an extract of the leaves from the Ginkgo biloba tree that has been reported as an antioxidant and neuroprotective agent. The objective of this work was to perform a systematic review of the studies that analysed the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on Parkinson’s disease or Parkinsonism. This research was conducted using the following databases: Medline, PsycInfo, Cinahl, Sigle, Lilacs, Scielo, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Initially, we selected 32 articles. After a more detailed analysis, only 10 articles remained. One of the hypotheses for the positive effect of EGb761 on Parkinson’s disease is the reduction or inhibition of monoamine-oxidase activity. This enzyme metabolises dopamine, inducing the formation of free radicals, which in turn damage nigrostriatal neurons. Another hypothesis is that the neuroprotective effect of EGb761 against 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and MPP+ toxins. As there are few studies on the effect of EGb761 on humans, this review could contribute new data to further the discussion of this issue.

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Introduction There is evidence to suggest that blood viscosity (BV) is involved in several pathological processes. In this review, we evaluated the different methods of BV acquisition, analyzing the sample storage time, the storage temperature, the acquisition time, the acquisition temperature, sample volume, and shear rates, in order to standardize this technique. Methods We selected 50 articles with methods of obtaining BV, evaluating pathologies through BV, comparing rheological equipment, monitoring, and regulating BV. Results and conclusion Measurements should be obtained as soon as possible, to reduce hemorheological changes. It is necessary to refrigerate them at 4°C when the storage time is long. The acquisition time is related to the equipment used. BV measurements at 37°C will represent the real BV in vivo more faithfully. In order to understand the BV phenomena, the shear rates must be between 0.1 and 1000 s‐1. There is a wide variety of equipment available for measuring the BV.

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The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant impediment to experimental research, leading several researchers to adapt psychophysical data acquisition. With the development and proliferation of information technology, paper-based organizational processes have gradually begun to be replaced by computer-based equivalents. This study describes how we developed, analyzed data, and validated the temporal bisection task in a remote data acquisition scenario. We implemented the data acquisition using the open science software OpenSesame, in conjunction with the JATOS platform. We described in detail all the steps to use our codes, which we made available for reuse. We acquired data from 28 participants using the remote acquisition system and compared them with data obtained in person (from Penney et al., 2000). Our remote data showed compatible results with live experiments, suggesting that the modality of data acquisition (remote or live) does not influence the results.

RESUMO A teoria da retrogênese descreve os declínios apresentados na doença de Alzheimer a partir dos estágios do desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor de Piaget. O objetivo deste estudo transversal é avaliar e descrever aspectos psicomotores, cognitivos e quedas, investigando a relação de dependência entre essas variáveis de acordo com a teoria da retrogênese. A amostra foi composta por 45 idosas (27 saudáveis e 18 com Alzheimer fase leve), residentes em São Paulo entre 2016 e 2017. Para a avaliação foram utilizados: anamnese, Escala de Depressão Geriátrica de Yesavage (GDS-30), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Cambridge Cognitive Exam-Revised (CAMCOG-R), Escala de Equilíbrio de Berg (EEB), timed up and go test (TUGT), Avaliação Direta do Estado Funcional (DAFS-BR), teste U de Mann-Whitney, coeficiente de correlação de Spearman e análise de regressão múltipla com p<0,05. Observou-se ordem de perda semelhante à sugerida pela teoria da retrogênese nos dois grupos estudados. Quanto menor o índice CAMCOG-R, maior o número de quedas (p=0,03). Itens praxia (p<0,00) e funções executivas (p<0,00) do CAMCOG-R mostraram-se altamente correlacionados com o TUGT e a EEB. Sugere-se relação de dependência entre funcionalidade e cognição e equilíbrio e cognição, bem como correlação entre risco de queda e desempenho cognitivo nos dois grupos estudados. As perdas observadas estão de acordo com o que a teoria da retrogênese propõe, mas com diferentes intensidades entre os grupos. Estudos longitudinais são necessários, com uso de exames de imagem para validar a teoria nos padrões de perda em idosos com e sem doença de Alzheimer.