Cognition-independent neurologic symptoms in normal aging and probable Alzheimer's disease
E. H. Franssen, B. Reisberg, A. Kluger, E. Sinaiko and C. Boja
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University Medical Center, New York 10016.
Deep tendon reflexes, plantar responses, muscle tone, and release signs
were studied as 14 individual clinical variables and as five summary
variables in 135 aged subjects, including 27 control subjects, 20 subjects
with mild cognitive impairment, and 88 subjects with successive stages of
probable Alzheimer's disease. Changes in activity of elicited responses
were rated on a seven-point scale. Results were analyzed both as prevalence
and mean degree of change in activity. Rating on a variable combining all
14 individual variables was significantly higher in a group with mild
cognitive impairment than in a control group. Subjects with an early stage
of Alzheimer's disease had both higher prevalence of increased activity and
increased mean scores of deep tendon reflexes and muscle tone. They had a
higher prevalence of increased activity on a variable combining three
release signs. Patients with a late stage of Alzheimer's disease had
significantly increased prevalence and mean scores of muscle tone and
grasping and sucking reflexes compared with control subjects and patients
with the early stage of Alzheimer's disease.
