ubiquinone and Dementia

Topics: Aged; Antidepressive Agents; Benzoquinones; Brain; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Dementia; Humans; Middle Aged; Morpholines; Ubiquinone; Vasodilator Agents

Noben (idebenone) was administered in dosage 120 mg during 6 months to 35 patients, aged from 60 to 86 years, with dementia, Alzheimer's type and mixed type, and with memory disturbances which did not reach the level of dementia. The assessment of patient's state before and after treatment was based on the results of somatic, neurological and psychiatric examination as well as neuropsychological testing and using of psychometrical and other scales. The significant improvement on the MMSE scale was found in patients with mild and moderate dementia. The improvement of daily activity was observed in 27% of patients. The neuropsychological study revealed the improvement of short-term and delayed memory and attention, speech functions, the performance on kinesthetic, spatial and dynamic praxis tests, visual-spatial gnosis, reasoning and writing. The positive therapeutic effect assessed by the CGI scale was observed in 37% of patients, the stable state--in 48%.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antioxidants; Attention; Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Dementia; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Memory; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone

The aim of study was to search for new biomarkers with a magnetic resonance technique to identify the early stages of dementia, induced by D-galactose, and evaluate Simvastatin therapy. Localized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements showed a significant decrease in the concentration of N-acetylaspartate+N-acetylaspartylglutamate and myo-inositol in the D-galactose group compared to the control group, and, conversely, an increase of N-acetylaspartate+N-acetylaspartylglutamate in the D-galactose/Simvastatin group. Using a saturation transfer experiment, with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we observed a significant elevation of the forward rate constant of the creatine kinase reaction in the brains of the D-galactose group compared to controls, and subsequently, a significant reduction of this reaction in the D-galactose/Simvastatin group. Spatial learning and memory were evaluated using the modified Morris water maze test. The dynamics of the learning process represented by the learning index revealed a significant reduction in learning in the D-galactose group, but the deficits as a consequence of the D-galactose effects were recovered in the D-galactose/Simvastatin group, in which the learning dynamics resembled those of the control group. By determining the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and total coenzyme Q9 in plasma, we have shown that long-term administration of D-galactose created conditions for oxidative stress, and that the administration of Simvastatin decreased oxidative stress in plasma. Volumetry analyses from the hippocampal area show a reduction in the segmented area in the D-galactose group, compared with the control group, and an enlarged area in the hippocampus in the d-galactose/Simvastatin group.

Topics: Animals; Aspartic Acid; Biomarkers; Brain; Dementia; Dipeptides; Disease Models, Animal; Galactose; Inositol; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Nootropic Agents; Organ Size; Phosphorus Isotopes; Protons; Rats, Wistar; Simvastatin; Spatial Learning; Spatial Memory; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone

To examine whether coenzyme Q10, a potent antioxidant, is associated with risk of dementia, which has not yet been elucidated.. We performed a case-control study nested in a community-based cohort of approximately 6000 Japanese aged 40-69 years at baseline (1984-1994). Serum coenzyme Q10 was measured in 65 incident cases of disabling dementia with dementia-related behavioral disturbance or cognitive impairment incident between 1999 and 2004, and in 130 age-, sex- and baseline year-matched controls. Serum coenzyme Q10 was inversely associated with dementia: the multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.68 (0.26-1.78), 0.92 (0.33-2.56), and 0.23 (0.06-0.86) for individuals with the second, third, and highest quartiles of coenzyme Q10, respectively, as compared with the lowest quartile (P for trend = 0.05). A similar association was found for the coenzyme Q10/total cholesterol ratio: the respective ORs were 0.67 (0.25-1.78), 0.73 (0.28-1.92), and 0.21 (0.05-0.90) (P for trend = 0.04).. Serum coenzyme Q10 levels were inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia.

Topics: Aged; Antioxidants; Biomarkers; Dementia; Female; Humans; Japan; Male; Middle Aged; Mitochondria; Neurons; Risk Factors; Ubiquinone

Mitochondrial impairment and increased oxidative stress are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a component of the electron transport chain localized on the inner membrane of the mitochondria. In addition to its bioenergetic activity required for ATP synthesis, CoQ10 also has antioxidant activity in mitochondrial and lipid membranes, which protects against the reactive oxidative species generated during oxidative phosphorylation. Several previous studies had reported no significant differences in serum CoQ10 levels between patients with and without dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, in this issue of Atherosclerosis, Yamagishi et al. demonstrate for the first time that a lower serum CoQ10 level is associated with a greater risk of dementia in a Japanese general population. These findings suggest that assessing serum CoQ10 levels could be useful for predicting the development of dementia, rather than as a biomarker for the presence of dementia.

Topics: Dementia; Female; Humans; Male; Ubiquinone

Noben (idebenone) at a dose of 120 mg per day for six months was used in the treatment of 35 patients aged 60-86 years with Alzheimer's-type dementia, mixed dementia, and memory impairments not reaching the stage of dementia. Patients were assessed on the basis of data from somatic, neurological, and psychiatric investigations, as well as neuropsychological testing and a series of psychometric and other scales and tests, before and after treatment. Significant improvements in patients' conditions on the MMSE were seen in patients with mild and moderate dementia. Improvements in daily activities were obtained in 27% of patients. Neuropsychological investigations demonstrated improvements in short-term and long-term memory and attention, with improvements in speech functions, performance of kinesthetic, spatial, and dynamic praxis tests, and in visuospatial gnosis, thought, and writing. On the CGI scale, positive treatment effects were obtained in 37% of patients, while 48% of patients remained in a stable state.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antioxidants; Attention; Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Dementia; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Memory; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ubiquinone

Elucidation of the alterations of intracerebral neurotransmitters in cerebrovascular dementia is of prime importance not only in revealing patho-physiological mechanism but also in developing the therapy for the disease. We measured monoamine metabolites and norepinephrine (NE) in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with cerebrovascular dementia, to study the effects of administration of 6-(10-hydroxydecyl)-2, 3-dimethoxy-5-metyl-1,4-benzoquinone (idebenone, CV-2619). Six patients with cerebral infarction and 1 with cerebral hemorrhage, at the mean age of 65.4 years, were enrolled as subjects. All patients had mental and intelligent impairment, and the Hasegawa's Dementia Rating (DR) Scale was performed. The patients were medicated with 90 mg daily dose of CV-2619 for 1 to 2 months, and homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylenglycol (MHPG), NE in cerebrospinal fluid were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography before and also after the medication. Before the medication, HVA was 21.7 +/- 1.4 ng/ml (mean +/- SE), which was significantly low (p less than 0.01), compared with controls at a similar age: 5-HIAA was 18.5 +/- 2.7 ng/ml, and MHPG, 9.5 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, both of which were not significantly low, but tended to be low, compared with the controls. NE was similar to the control value. With the administration of CV-2619, HVA measured 27.1 +/- 3.2 ng/ml, showing a tendency to increase; 5-HIAA was 26.7 +/- 2.3 ng/ml, and MHPG, 10.7 +/- 0.6 ng/ml, both of which increased significantly (p less than 0.05), compared with the respective premedication values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Aged; Benzoquinones; Biogenic Amines; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Dementia; Homovanillic Acid; Humans; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; Middle Aged; Norepinephrine; Quinones; Ubiquinone

Topics: Acetylcholine; Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Animals; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Dementia; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Humans; Microcirculation; Naloxone; Oxygen Consumption; Tetrahydrofolates; Ubiquinone