Table 1.
Characteristics of HC and ADD Participants
| Variable | Healthy Control (HC) | Dementia Due to Alzheimer’s Disease (ADD) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 14 | 12 | |
| Sex (male:female) | 6:8 (42.9%:57.1%) | 6:6 (50.0%:50.0%) | 1.000 |
| Arterial hypertension (present:absent) | 6:8 (42.9%:57.1%) | 7:5 (58.3%:41.7%) | 0.695 |
| Treatment for hypertension (yes:no) | 6:8 (42.9%:57.1%) | 7:5 (58.3%:41.7%) | 0.695 |
| AChEI treatment (yes:no) | 1:13 (7.1%:92.9%) | 8:4 (66.7%:33.3%) | <0.001 |
| Caffeine (yes:no) | 14:0 (100.0%:0.0%) | 9:3 (75.0%:25.0%) | 0.085 |
| Nicotine (yes:no) | 1:13 (7.1%:92.9%) | 1:11 (8.3%:91.7%) | 1.000 |
| Variable mean ± SD (range) | |||
| Age at examination (in years) | 65.4 ± 7.85 (54.0–78.0) | 71.3 ± 9.49 (54.0–84.0) | 0.076 |
| Z-Score MMSE | −0.2 ± 1.09 (–2.4–1.2) |
−9.9 ± 7.08 (–21.9- −1.6) | <0.001 |
| CERAD-sum score | 85.8 ± 8.60 (68.0–97.0) | 47.8 ± 14.43 (25.0–79.0) | <0.001 |
| CDR global | 0.0 ± 0.00 (0.0–0.0) | 1.3 ± 0.45 (1.0–2.0) | <0.001 |
| CDR-SOB | 0.0 ± 0.00 (0.0–0.0) | 6.1 ± 2.84 (3.5–14.0) | <0.001 |
| Awake for (in hours) | 6.4 ± 1.05 (4.8–8.0 | 6.4 ± 1.06 (4.5–8.0) | 0.940 |
| Sleep duration last night (in hours) | 7.9 ± 0.82 (6.8–10.0) | 8.7 ± 1.11 (6.5–10.0) | 0.041 |
|
Variable median; mean ± SD (range) |
|||
| Mean RI MCA right | 0.559 0.56 ± 0.059 (0.482–0.673) |
0.614 0.61 ± 0.066 (0.496–0.703) |
0.027 |
| Mean RI MCA left | 0.540 0.56 ± 0.064 (0.489–0.735) |
0.589 0.61 ± 0.049 (0.551–0.700) |
0.020 |
| Mean PI MCA right | 0.763 0.79 ± 0.135 (0.613–1.033) |
0.880 0.90 ± 0.213 (0.629–1.320) |
0.126 |
| Mean PI MCA left | 0.763 0.82 ± 0.192 (0.586–1.301) |
0.870 0.93 ± 0.190 (0.735–1.353) |
0.034 |
Notes: p-values calculated from Mann–Whitney U-test for continuous and Fisher’s exact test for nominal variables.
Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; AChEI, treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor; Caffeine/Nicotine (yes:no), consumption of caffeine/nicotine on day of examination; z-score MMSE, z-score of the Mini-Mental state examination subtest of CERAD Neuropsychological Assessment Battery; CERAD, Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease; CDR-SOB, clinical dementia rating scale sum of boxes; RI, resistance index; PI, pulsatility index; MCA, middle cerebral artery.