2007 Heart-Brain summit proceedings

Donald R. Royall, MD

Departments of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Pharmacology, South Texas Veterans Health System Audie L. Murphy Division GRECC (Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center), and The University of Texas Health Science Center,
San Antonio, TX

royall@uthscsa.edu

Click here for Full Article PDF (Insular Alzheimer disease pathology and the psychometric correlates of mortality)

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ABSTRACT

Right hemisphere dysfunction is associated with mortality in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurologic conditions. These associations may be mediated by insular pathology, as insular lesions result in demonstrable changes in cardiovascular and autonomic control. AD affects the insulae at a preclinical stage, and insular AD pathology may be present in up to 40% of non-demented septuagenarians and octogenarians. This pathology can affect in vivo cardiac conduction and thereby dispose to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. Thus, AD pathology should be considered as a possible explanation for autonomic morbidity and mortality in nondemented elderly persons.

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