Purpose of review In this article we will review the relevant literature published in the last ye... more Purpose of review In this article we will review the relevant literature published in the last year on insight and on assessment of competency of patients with dementia. We have analysed the implications that recent research on insight may have for capacity assessment. Recent findings Studies that have recently been published deal with financial assessment and financial abilities of dementia patients, and on the potential impairment of driving, and particularly on the awareness that patients have of their loss of abilities. Summary Recent research on insight may have important implications for capacity assessment in dementia.
ABSTRACT Purpose of review: The authors review the latest publications that deal with the legal a... more ABSTRACT Purpose of review: The authors review the latest publications that deal with the legal aspects of dementia. The paper is mainly focused on competence assessment to give consent for medical treatment and for participating in research. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the elements that influence the decision to participate in research, particularly in decisions made by the caregiver when the patient is unable to consent. The indications of genetic testing, from an ethical point of view, are analysed. Recent findings: The two major areas of research in the legal aspects of dementia are competence assessment and the ethical and legal implications of genetic testing. A significant number of research studies has appeared recently relating to the process of consenting to medical treatment and participating in research protocols. Summary: Two different perspectives in competence assessment have been found: psychometric and functionalistic. In research and clinical practice a distinction has to be made between the moral and scientific problem. Elements of both are necessary, but one should not overlap the other.
The association between the APOE gene and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has... more The association between the APOE gene and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has been widely documented, but its relevance as a genetic risk factor in specific ethnic groups other than Caucasians in the United States and Europe is limited. The aim of this work was to describe the distribution of the APOE genotype in 80 subjects of Spanish origin, over 60 years old, who were institutionalized in the Spanish Hospital of Mexico City. Thirty-eight subjects who met the DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia and 42 controls without dementia underwent genotyping. APOE ε allele frequencies were as follows: for affected individuals, ε2, 7.9%, ε3, 69.7%, and ε4, 22.4%; for controls, ε2, 4.8%, ε3, 91.6%, and ε4, 3.6%. The higher frequency of the ε4 allele in the affected group (χ2 = 14.5; df = 4, p = .006) confirms an association between this APOE molecular variant and dementia in elderly Spaniards.
Purpose of review In this article we will review the relevant literature published in the last ye... more Purpose of review In this article we will review the relevant literature published in the last year on insight and on assessment of competency of patients with dementia. We have analysed the implications that recent research on insight may have for capacity assessment. Recent findings Studies that have recently been published deal with financial assessment and financial abilities of dementia patients, and on the potential impairment of driving, and particularly on the awareness that patients have of their loss of abilities. Summary Recent research on insight may have important implications for capacity assessment in dementia.
ABSTRACT Purpose of review: The authors review the latest publications that deal with the legal a... more ABSTRACT Purpose of review: The authors review the latest publications that deal with the legal aspects of dementia. The paper is mainly focused on competence assessment to give consent for medical treatment and for participating in research. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the elements that influence the decision to participate in research, particularly in decisions made by the caregiver when the patient is unable to consent. The indications of genetic testing, from an ethical point of view, are analysed. Recent findings: The two major areas of research in the legal aspects of dementia are competence assessment and the ethical and legal implications of genetic testing. A significant number of research studies has appeared recently relating to the process of consenting to medical treatment and participating in research protocols. Summary: Two different perspectives in competence assessment have been found: psychometric and functionalistic. In research and clinical practice a distinction has to be made between the moral and scientific problem. Elements of both are necessary, but one should not overlap the other.
The association between the APOE gene and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has... more The association between the APOE gene and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has been widely documented, but its relevance as a genetic risk factor in specific ethnic groups other than Caucasians in the United States and Europe is limited. The aim of this work was to describe the distribution of the APOE genotype in 80 subjects of Spanish origin, over 60 years old, who were institutionalized in the Spanish Hospital of Mexico City. Thirty-eight subjects who met the DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia and 42 controls without dementia underwent genotyping. APOE ε allele frequencies were as follows: for affected individuals, ε2, 7.9%, ε3, 69.7%, and ε4, 22.4%; for controls, ε2, 4.8%, ε3, 91.6%, and ε4, 3.6%. The higher frequency of the ε4 allele in the affected group (χ2 = 14.5; df = 4, p = .006) confirms an association between this APOE molecular variant and dementia in elderly Spaniards.
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