Abbreviation (ISO4): Chinese Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
Editor in chief: Jun WANG
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Autonomic dysfunction, one of its core clinical features, can emerge several years before cognitive impairment and may serve as a crucial identifying clue for the prodromal stage of DLB. In recent years, with deeper insights into the pathological propagation mechanisms of α-synuclein and advances in related detection techniques, research on autonomic dysfunction in DLB has gradually progressed from phenomenological descriptions to explorations of neurobiological mechanisms. This article systematically reviews the clinical characteristics and predictive value of autonomic dysfunction in DLB, along with advances in neuropathology and biomarkers. It also analyzes the limitations of current research and outlines future directions, aiming to raise awareness of early autonomic dysfunction in DLB and provide references for mechanistic studies.
Objective: To explore the relationship between MRI manifestations of cerebellar atrophy in patients with Alzheimer's disease and balance dysfunction. Methods: A total of 80 patients with Alzheimer's disease who visited our hospital from January 2023 to January 2026 were selected as the research subjects. According to whether they had cerebellar atrophy, the patients were divided into the non-atrophy group and the atrophy group. MRI and functional assessment were conducted to analyze the relationship between MRI manifestations and balance dysfunction. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, disease duration, disease severity, hypertension, and diabetes between the two groups (P>0.05). The cerebellar volume of the atrophy group was smaller than that of the non-atrophy group (P< 0.05), and the width of the cerebellar sulci and the maximum cross-sectional area of the fourth ventricle were larger in the atrophy group than in the non-atrophy group (P<0.05). The BBS score, single-leg standing time, and closed-eye standing time of the atrophy group were lower than those of the non-atrophy group (P<0.05). The cerebellar volume of AD patients was positively correlated with the BBS score, single-leg standing time, and closed-eye standing time (P< 0.05), while the width of the cerebellar sulci and the maximum cross-sectional area of the fourth ventricle were negatively correlated with the BBS score, single-leg standing time, and closed-eye standing time (P< 0.05). Conclusions: Patients with Alzheimer's disease and cerebellar atrophy have smaller cerebellar volume, wider sulci, and larger fourth ventricle area. Moreover, the BBS score, single-leg and closed-eye standing times are lower in the atrophy group. The degree of cerebellar atrophy is significantly correlated with balance dysfunction. MRI assessment of cerebellar structure can assist in predicting the risk of balance disorders and provide a basis for clinical rehabilitation and fall prevention.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Wuling capsule in the treatment of cognitive impairment through meta-analysis, thereby providing evidence-based reference for clinical practice. Methods: Major Chinese and English databases were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Wuling Capsule for cognitive impairment. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (version 2.0) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 16.0 and RevMan 5.4. Results: A total of 20 studies involving 2531 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that the Wuling capsule intervention significantly improved patients' Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores [MD = 2.06, 95%CI (0.98, 3.13), P = 0.0002] and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores [MD = 0.91, 95%CI (0.47, 1.35), P < 0.0001]. It also significantly increased the amplitude of the event-related potential (ERP) P3amp [MD=2.10, 95%CI (1.13, 3.07), P <0.0001) and shortened the latencies of ERP N1 [MD=-4.34, 95%CI (-5.81, -2.87), P <0.00001), N2 [MD=-14.13, 95%CI (-21.69, -6.56), P =0.0003), P2 [MD=-7.94, 95%CI (-13.20, -2.68), P=0.003), and P3 [MD=-21.15, 95%CI (-31.67, -10.62), P <0.0001]. In addition, Wuling Capsule effectively improved patients' activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel Index (MD = 6.44, 95%CI (1.46, 11.42), P = 0.01). Subgroup analysis indicated that the improvement was particularly evident in patients with post-stroke and depression-related cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Wuling capsule combined with conventional therapy may have an adjunctive effect in improving cognitive function and daily living ability in patients with cognitive impairment, especially reflected in improvements in MMSE, ERP, and BI. However, due to the methodological limitations and high heterogeneity of the included studies, further high-quality RCTs with long-term follow-up are needed to verify its efficacy and safety.
Objective: To investigate the risk factors for pulmonary infection in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods:A retrospective study was conducted, enrolling 40 hospitalized AD patients complicated with pulmonary infection (infection group) and 40 AD patients without pulmonary infection (non-infection group) treated in our hospital from January 2021 to December 2025. Risk factors for pulmonary infection were analyzed. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in gender, age, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease), use of antibiotics, use of sedative-hypnotic drugs, albumin, prealbumin, or hemoglobin (all P>0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed in AD disease duration, long-term bed rest, dysphagia, nasogastric tube use, and procalcitonin levels (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that long-term bed rest and dysphagia were independent risk factors for pulmonary infection in AD patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: Long-term bed rest and dysphagia are risk factors for pulmonary infection in patients with AD. Targeted prevention and control of these factors in clinical practice is warranted to reduce the risk of infection.
ISSN 2096-5516 (Print)
Started from 2018
Published by: China Association for Alzheimer’s Disease
