Sandro Marini - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sandro Marini

Research paper thumbnail of White matter microstructural damage and depressive symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment and cerebral small vessel disease: the VMCI-Tuscany Study

International journal of geriatric psychiatry, Jan 21, 2015

Disruption of cortical-subcortical circuits related to small vessel disease (SVD) may predispose ... more Disruption of cortical-subcortical circuits related to small vessel disease (SVD) may predispose to depression in the elderly. We aimed to determine the independent association between white matter (WM) microstructural damage, evaluated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and depressive symptoms in a cohort of elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and SVD. The vascular mild cognitive impairment (VMCI)-Tuscany Study is an observational multicentric longitudinal study that enrolled patients with MCI and moderate to severe degrees of WM hyperintensities on MRI. Lacunar infarcts, cortical atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy, microbleeds, and DTI-derived indices (mean diffusivity, MD and fractional anisotropy, FA) were evaluated on baseline MRI. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (score 0-15) was used to assess depressive symptoms. An extensive neuropsychological battery, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, and the Short Physical Performance Battery were used ...

Research paper thumbnail of Listeria monocytogenes brainstem infection (rhombencephalitis) mimicking ischemic stroke

The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasin... more The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasing. We report a patient recently treated with chemotherapeutic drugs for pulmonary adenocarcinoma who suddenly developed hemiparesis, was initially diagnosed with stroke, and was then found to be affected by Lm rhombencephalitis accompanied by a brain abscess. Lm meningoencephalitis mimicking ischemic stroke is rare but must be considered, especially in specific patients.

Research paper thumbnail of QuALiCoMe questionnaire: the possible role of cognitive and linguistic reserve in the recovery from post-stroke aphasia

Research paper thumbnail of Operationalizing mild cognitive impairment criteria in small vessel disease: The vascular mild cognitive impairment-Tuscany study

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2015

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prodromic of vascular dementia is expected to have a multidomain ... more Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prodromic of vascular dementia is expected to have a multidomain profile. In a sample of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) patients, we assessed MCI subtypes distributions according to different operationalization of Winblad criteria and compared the neuroimaging features of single versus multidomain MCI. We applied three MCI diagnostic scenarios in which the cutoffs for objective impairment and the number of considered neuropsychological tests varied. Passing from a liberal to more conservative diagnostic scenarios, of 153 patients, 5% were no longer classified as MCI, amnestic multidomain frequency decreased, and nonamnestic single domain increased. Considering neuroimaging features, severe medial temporal lobe atrophy was more frequent in multidomain compared with single domain. Operationalizing MCI criteria changes the relative frequency of MCI subtypes. Nonamnestic single domain MCI may be a previously nonrecognized type of MCI associated with SVD.

Research paper thumbnail of The Florence VAS-COG clinic: a model for the care of patients with cognitive and behavioral disturbances consequent to cerebrovascular diseases

Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2014

Services dedicated to patients with cognitive and behavioral consequences of cerebrovascular dise... more Services dedicated to patients with cognitive and behavioral consequences of cerebrovascular diseases are not well established. In this paper, we report on the general organization of such a service (the Florence VAS-COG Clinic) after 9 years of activity, updating a previous work related to the first 5 years. The Florence VAS-COG clinic, started in 2006, is an outpatient service dedicated to the assessment and follow-up of patients with cerebrovascular diseases and related cognitive, psychiatric, and behavioral disturbances. The staff involved in the clinic is composed of certified neurologists, one neuropsychologist, and neurology residents. The diagnostic protocol includes detailed personal and family history, general and neurologic examinations, and functional, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging assessment. After this work-up, comprehensive diagnoses are made. From January 2006 to March 2014, 600 patients (mean age 67.3 years ± 13.9; 52% females) have been evaluated in the clin...

Research paper thumbnail of White matter microstructural damage in small vessel disease is associated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment but not with mini mental state examination performances: Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment Tuscany study

Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation, 2015

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed as a screening tool in vascular cognitive ... more Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed as a screening tool in vascular cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor imaging is sensitive to white matter microstructural damage. We investigated if diffusion tensor imaging-derived indices are more strongly associated with performances on MoCA or on the widely used mini mental state examination in patients with mild cognitive impairment and small vessel disease. Mild cognitive impairment patients with moderate/severe degrees of white matter hyperintensities on MRI were enrolled. Lacunar infarcts, cortical atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy and median values of mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy of the cerebral white matter were studied and correlated with cognitive tests performances. Seventy-six patients (mean age 75.1±6.8 years, mean years of education 8.0±4.3) were assessed. In univariate analyses, a significant association of both MoCA and mini mental state examination scores with age, education, cortical atrop...

Research paper thumbnail of Listeria monocytogenes brainstem infection (rhombencephalitis) mimicking ischemic stroke

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 2014

The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasin... more The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasing. We report a patient recently treated with chemotherapeutic drugs for pulmonary adenocarcinoma who suddenly developed hemiparesis, was initially diagnosed with stroke, and was then found to be affected by Lm rhombencephalitis accompanied by a brain abscess. Lm meningoencephalitis mimicking ischemic stroke is rare but must be considered, especially in specific patients.

Research paper thumbnail of A case of atypical early-onset Alzheimer’s disease carrying the missense mutation Thr354Ile in exon 10 of the PSEN1 gene

Neurological Sciences, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Implication of serotonin-transporter (5-HTT) gene polymorphism in subjective memory complaints and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Do cholinesterase inhibitors act primarily on attention deficit? A naturalistic study in Alzheimer's disease patients

Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2014

Attention is the first non-memory domain affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD), before deficit... more Attention is the first non-memory domain affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD), before deficits in language and visuo-spatial function, and it is claimed that attention deficits are responsible for the difficulties with daily living in early demented patients. The aim of this longitudinal study in a group of 121 Caucasian, community-dwelling, mild-to-moderate AD patients (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >17) was to detect which cognitive domains were most affected by the disease and whether one year treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors was more effective in preserving attention than memory. All subjects were evaluated by a neuropsychological battery including global measurements (MMSE, Information-Memory-Concentration Test) and tasks exploring verbal long-term memory, language, attention, and executive functions. The comparison between two evaluations, made 12 months apart, shows statistically significant differences, indicating deterioration compared to baselin...

Research paper thumbnail of White matter microstructural damage and depressive symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment and cerebral small vessel disease: the VMCI-Tuscany Study

International journal of geriatric psychiatry, Jan 21, 2015

Disruption of cortical-subcortical circuits related to small vessel disease (SVD) may predispose ... more Disruption of cortical-subcortical circuits related to small vessel disease (SVD) may predispose to depression in the elderly. We aimed to determine the independent association between white matter (WM) microstructural damage, evaluated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and depressive symptoms in a cohort of elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and SVD. The vascular mild cognitive impairment (VMCI)-Tuscany Study is an observational multicentric longitudinal study that enrolled patients with MCI and moderate to severe degrees of WM hyperintensities on MRI. Lacunar infarcts, cortical atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy, microbleeds, and DTI-derived indices (mean diffusivity, MD and fractional anisotropy, FA) were evaluated on baseline MRI. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (score 0-15) was used to assess depressive symptoms. An extensive neuropsychological battery, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, and the Short Physical Performance Battery were used ...

Research paper thumbnail of Listeria monocytogenes brainstem infection (rhombencephalitis) mimicking ischemic stroke

The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasin... more The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasing. We report a patient recently treated with chemotherapeutic drugs for pulmonary adenocarcinoma who suddenly developed hemiparesis, was initially diagnosed with stroke, and was then found to be affected by Lm rhombencephalitis accompanied by a brain abscess. Lm meningoencephalitis mimicking ischemic stroke is rare but must be considered, especially in specific patients.

Research paper thumbnail of QuALiCoMe questionnaire: the possible role of cognitive and linguistic reserve in the recovery from post-stroke aphasia

Research paper thumbnail of Operationalizing mild cognitive impairment criteria in small vessel disease: The vascular mild cognitive impairment-Tuscany study

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2015

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prodromic of vascular dementia is expected to have a multidomain ... more Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prodromic of vascular dementia is expected to have a multidomain profile. In a sample of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) patients, we assessed MCI subtypes distributions according to different operationalization of Winblad criteria and compared the neuroimaging features of single versus multidomain MCI. We applied three MCI diagnostic scenarios in which the cutoffs for objective impairment and the number of considered neuropsychological tests varied. Passing from a liberal to more conservative diagnostic scenarios, of 153 patients, 5% were no longer classified as MCI, amnestic multidomain frequency decreased, and nonamnestic single domain increased. Considering neuroimaging features, severe medial temporal lobe atrophy was more frequent in multidomain compared with single domain. Operationalizing MCI criteria changes the relative frequency of MCI subtypes. Nonamnestic single domain MCI may be a previously nonrecognized type of MCI associated with SVD.

Research paper thumbnail of The Florence VAS-COG clinic: a model for the care of patients with cognitive and behavioral disturbances consequent to cerebrovascular diseases

Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2014

Services dedicated to patients with cognitive and behavioral consequences of cerebrovascular dise... more Services dedicated to patients with cognitive and behavioral consequences of cerebrovascular diseases are not well established. In this paper, we report on the general organization of such a service (the Florence VAS-COG Clinic) after 9 years of activity, updating a previous work related to the first 5 years. The Florence VAS-COG clinic, started in 2006, is an outpatient service dedicated to the assessment and follow-up of patients with cerebrovascular diseases and related cognitive, psychiatric, and behavioral disturbances. The staff involved in the clinic is composed of certified neurologists, one neuropsychologist, and neurology residents. The diagnostic protocol includes detailed personal and family history, general and neurologic examinations, and functional, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging assessment. After this work-up, comprehensive diagnoses are made. From January 2006 to March 2014, 600 patients (mean age 67.3 years ± 13.9; 52% females) have been evaluated in the clin...

Research paper thumbnail of White matter microstructural damage in small vessel disease is associated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment but not with mini mental state examination performances: Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment Tuscany study

Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation, 2015

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed as a screening tool in vascular cognitive ... more Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed as a screening tool in vascular cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor imaging is sensitive to white matter microstructural damage. We investigated if diffusion tensor imaging-derived indices are more strongly associated with performances on MoCA or on the widely used mini mental state examination in patients with mild cognitive impairment and small vessel disease. Mild cognitive impairment patients with moderate/severe degrees of white matter hyperintensities on MRI were enrolled. Lacunar infarcts, cortical atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy and median values of mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy of the cerebral white matter were studied and correlated with cognitive tests performances. Seventy-six patients (mean age 75.1±6.8 years, mean years of education 8.0±4.3) were assessed. In univariate analyses, a significant association of both MoCA and mini mental state examination scores with age, education, cortical atrop...

Research paper thumbnail of Listeria monocytogenes brainstem infection (rhombencephalitis) mimicking ischemic stroke

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 2014

The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasin... more The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection of the central nervous system is increasing. We report a patient recently treated with chemotherapeutic drugs for pulmonary adenocarcinoma who suddenly developed hemiparesis, was initially diagnosed with stroke, and was then found to be affected by Lm rhombencephalitis accompanied by a brain abscess. Lm meningoencephalitis mimicking ischemic stroke is rare but must be considered, especially in specific patients.

Research paper thumbnail of A case of atypical early-onset Alzheimer’s disease carrying the missense mutation Thr354Ile in exon 10 of the PSEN1 gene

Neurological Sciences, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Implication of serotonin-transporter (5-HTT) gene polymorphism in subjective memory complaints and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Do cholinesterase inhibitors act primarily on attention deficit? A naturalistic study in Alzheimer's disease patients

Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2014

Attention is the first non-memory domain affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD), before deficit... more Attention is the first non-memory domain affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD), before deficits in language and visuo-spatial function, and it is claimed that attention deficits are responsible for the difficulties with daily living in early demented patients. The aim of this longitudinal study in a group of 121 Caucasian, community-dwelling, mild-to-moderate AD patients (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >17) was to detect which cognitive domains were most affected by the disease and whether one year treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors was more effective in preserving attention than memory. All subjects were evaluated by a neuropsychological battery including global measurements (MMSE, Information-Memory-Concentration Test) and tasks exploring verbal long-term memory, language, attention, and executive functions. The comparison between two evaluations, made 12 months apart, shows statistically significant differences, indicating deterioration compared to baselin...