Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
The pathogenesis of Alzheimer s disease is complex, and early-onset Alzheimer s disease (EOAD) is mostly influenced by genetic factors. Presenilin-1, presenilin-2 (PSEN2), and amyloid precursor protein are currently known as the three main causative genes for autosomal dominant EOAD, with the PSEN2 mutation being the rarest. In this study, we reported a 56-year-old Chinese Han proband who presented with prominent progressive amnesia, aphasia, executive function impairment, and depression 5 years ago. The 3-year follow-up showed that the patient experienced progressive brain atrophy displayed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dramatic cognitive decline assessed by neuropsychological evaluation. This patient was clinically diagnosed as EOAD based on established criteria. A heterozygous variant (NM 000447.2: c.1106T>C) of PSEN2 was identified for the first time in this patient and her
Zhejiang University
Depression is commonly associated with cognitive deficits in memory and emotions like sadness. This association alone, however, neglects the intense difference in how subjects perceive others and the world in this mental state. Depressed subjects often perceive their environment in an unsharp and blurry way. That, in turn, affects our emotion, cognition and behavior since we act and think according to the way we perceive. The research teams of SONG Xuemei at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine, TAN Zhonglin at the Zhejiang University Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, and Georg Northoff at the University of Ottawa published an article titled “Reduction of higher-order occipital GABA and impaired visual perception in acute major depressive disorder” online on April 16th in Molecular Psychiatry. This research sheds a novel light on depressed subjects’ perception and its biochemical origins.