Background: Levodopa (L-dopa) is the gold standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease, but a lack of clear efficacy combined with a perceived liability to neuropsychiatric side effects has limited ...L-dopa use in patients with parkinsonism and dementia. Therefore, the effect of L-dopa on the cognitive profile of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD) is unclear. Aim: To ascertain the acute and long-term effects of L-dopa on aspects of attention and cognition in patients with DLB and PDD, and to compare these with the effects in Parkinson’s disease. Method: Baseline cognitive and motor function was assessed off L-dopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease (n = 22), PDD (n = 27) and DLB (n = 11) using standard “bedside” measures and a computerised programme detecting reaction times and accuracy. All patients then underwent an acute L-dopa challenge with subsequent subjective and objective analysis of alertness, verbal recall, reaction times and accuracy. The same parameters were measured after 3 months on L-dopa to assess the prolonged effect. Results: Acute L-dopa challenge considerably improved motor function and subjective alertness in all patients without compromising either reaction times or accuracy, but increased fluctuations were noted in both groups with dementia. Neuropsychiatric scores improved in patients with Parkinson’s disease both with and without dementia on L-dopa at 3 months. Although patients with Parkinson’s disease also had better mean global cognitive function at this time, mean verbal attention and memory deteriorated, and patients with PDD had slower reaction times in some tests. No patient had a marked deterioration over this time. Patients with DLB did not experience any adverse cognitive or neuropsychiatric effects after 3 months of L-dopa treatment. Conclusion: The use of L-dopa in patients with parkinsonism with dementia does not adversely affect cognitive function.
Vseživljenjsko učenje je postalo v današnji družbi nuja. Če želi posameznik slediti hitro spreminjajoči se družbi, je prisiljen v konstantno izobraževanje in usposabljanje. Ustrezna raven pismenosti ...- spretnost uporabe branja, pisanja, računanja in uporabe računalnika v vsakdanjih življenjskih situacijah - je postala ključnega pomena za uspešno delovanje v družbi. Izsledki (mednarodnih in domačih) raziskav so pokazali, da imamo v Sloveniji več različnih ciljnih skupin, pri katerih bi bilo še posebej potrebno izboljšati spretnosti, povezane s pismenostjo. Ena izmed njih so odrasli, ki se ukvarjajo s kmetijstvom, in na Andragoškem centru smo pripravili izobraževalni program, namenjen prav tej populaciji. Programje del sklopa programov za dvig pismenosti Usposabljanje za življenjsko uspešnost (UŽU) in se imenuje UŽU, Izzivi podeželja. Posebnost vseh programov UŽU je projektno delo (reševanje konkretnih življenjskih situacij udeležencev) in prilagajanje vsebin programa udeležencem (program ima okvirno začrtane standarde znanja, učitelji pripravljajo projekte z vsebinami, prilagojenimi potrebam trenutne skupine udeležencev programa).
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