Article

People with Alzheimer disease (AD) are capable of new learning when
cognitive support is provided, suggesting that there is plasticity even in a
degenerating brain. However,
it is unclear how a cognition-focused intervention
operates on a neural level.
The present study examined the effects of
cognitive rehabilitation (CR) on memory-related brain activation in people with
early-stage AD, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
METHODS: A total of 19 participants either received 8 weeks of CR treatment (n =
7) or formed a control group (n = 12). We scanned participants pretreatment and
posttreatment while they learned and recognized unfamiliar face-name pairs.
RESULTS: Following treatment, the CR group showed higher brain activation during
recognition of face-name pairs in the left middle and inferior frontal gyri, the
left insula, and 2s regions in the right medial parietal cortex. The control
group showed decreased activation in these areas during recognition after the
intervention period. Neither group showed an activation change during encoding.
Behavioral performance on face-name learning did not improve for either group.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that CR may have operated on the process of recognition
through partial restoration of function in frontal brain areas that are less
compromised in early-stage AD and that physiological markers may be more
sensitive indicators of brain plasticity than behavioral performance.

Langue : ANGLAIS