Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Multiple Gratitude Interventions Among Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease, Cristy Degregory

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this group randomized intervention trial was to examine the impact of participation in three telephone-based gratitude interventions on the physical, psychological and social functioning of participants in caregiver support groups who are unpaid family caregivers of persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build Theory informed the investigation of the effect of three gratitude interventions on participants’ levels of gratitude, positive aspects of caregiving, subjective well-being, physical health and mental health. This was a randomized, wait-list controlled study involving informal caregivers involved in support groups. The research questions were: 1.) How does gratitude contribute to subjective …

Longitudinal Trajectories And Predictors Of Functional Impairment In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’S Disease, And Vascular Dementia, Lauren Z. Chisholm

Doctoral Dissertations

Functional disability in older persons with cognitive impairment is associated with reduced quality of life and greater mortality, health care utilization, and caregiver burden. Episodic memory, executive function, apathy, depressive symptoms, and medical burden have been identified as cross-sectional predictors of functional disability but have received little longitudinal investigation in a way that explicates how changes in these variables relates to functional disability. Functional disability also drives the distinction between the diagnoses of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia; however, little is known about the rates of functional decline in these groups over time. This study utilized multi-level modeling to …

The Effect Of Acute Lps-Induced Immune Activation And Brain Insulin Signaling Disruption In A Diabetic Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Andrew Scott Murtishaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive cognitive impairments and pathological hallmarks that include amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Several well-known mutations exist that lead to early-onset familial AD (fAD). However, these cases only account for a small percentage of total AD cases. The vast majority of AD cases are sporadic in origin (sAD) and are less clearly influenced by a single mutation but rather some combination of genetic and environmental risk.

The etiology of sAD remains unclear but numerous risk factors have been identified that increase the chance of developing AD. Among these risk …

Nursing Students' Attitude And Knowledge Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michelle Kimzey

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

As the population ages, nurses must be prepared to provide care for the large number of people with Alzheimer's disease (PWAD). Research is limited on nursing students and people with AD, whether nursing education prepares students to care for this population, or the best methods to educate students in an insightful and collaborative environment. The aim of this mixed methods design study was to determine the effects of educational experiences on nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards people with AD. The qualitative piece identified factors that influenced and explained differences in nursing students' knowledge and attitudes surrounding the care of …

Plasma Insulin-Degrading Enzyme: Characterisation And Evaluation As A Potential Biomarker For Alzheimer's Disease, Michelle Tegg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence due to increasing lifespan and altered lifestyle. It is the fourth major cause of death in Western countries, resulting in significant economic and social impact (Von Strauss, et al., 1999; Goate, 1997). There are no blood biomarkers currently accepted for the diagnosis of AD, and the identification of suitable biomarkers would eventually reduce the necessity for invasive, expensive and slow diagnostic procedures, as well as facilitate prognostic studies. An AD blood test would decrease the need for delaying diagnosis due to ambivalent presentation, and allow therapeutic intervention to commence at an earlier …

Impact Of Nutrition On Cognition And Its Association With Blood And Brain Alzheimer Disease Related Biomarkers, Samantha Gardener

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, currently affects over 35 million people worldwide. While there is no cure or effective treatment, early intervention programs hold considerable promise. Following particular dietary patterns represents one potential intervention strategy accessible to all.

Results from previous studies investigating the association of diet, cognition and biomarkers of AD are inconsistent: Positive results have been reported (1-7), whilst others have shown no associations. Prior to this thesis, no study has assessed the relationship of four dietary patterns to cognition, blood-based and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD in a large highly-characterised ageing cohort. Participants …

An Evaluation Of Sample Size Re-Estimation Adaptive Designs And Delayed-Start Designs For Alzheimer's Disease Trials, Guoqiao Wang

All ETDs from UAB

The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the effect of novel clinical trial designs for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to provide applications for their use in real trials. The data used for our simulation is a meta-data base of completed trials. In the first paper, we investigate the sample size re-estimation (SSR) adaptive design based on the effect size and the variance without taking into account the longitudinal feature of the trials. In the second paper, we take advantage of that feature to explore the SSR based on the variance of the rate of change in the longitudinal measurements. …

Contribution Of Kv4.2 To Neuronal Hyperexcitability In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Alicia Marie Hall

All ETDs from UAB

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing with the aging population and an astonishing 5.2 million Americans are affected by AD, the most common cause of dementia. Cognitive impairment worsens with declining hippocampal function. Neuronal hyperexcitability occurs early in the pathogenesis of AD and contributes to network imbalance and the seizure activity seen in AD patients. In other disorders with neuronal hyperexcitability, dysfunction in the dendrites often contributes, but dendritic excitability has not been studied in AD models. We used patch-clamp recordings to directly examine dendritic excitability in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. We found that dendrites, but …