Browsing by Author "Fredes-Roa, C."

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    La terapia musical y sus implicaciones en la neurorrehabilitación en pacientes con ictus y con demencia
    (2021) Molina-Ampuero, K.; Méndez Orellana, Carolina Patricia; Fredes-Roa, C.; Toloza-Ramírez, David
    Introduction: Neurorehabilitation therapy is crucial to improving functionality in patients with stroke or with such neurodegenerative diseases as dementia. In recent years, music therapy (i.e., the use of music for therapeutic purposes) has been described as an alternative tool that significantly improves motor and cognitive functions in patients with stroke or dementia. However, it has not yet been routinely implemented in clinical practice. Therefore, there is a need to review the current evidence on the positive effects of music therapy in rehabilitation and the changes it causes in the brain, particularly in patients with stroke or dementia. Methods: We conducted a literature review in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, and included studies published between 2010 and 2019 on the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases. Results: A total of 29 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in this literature review. The studies selected confirm that music therapy has a positive impact on such cognitive domains as memory, attention, and language in patients with aphasia due to stroke or dementia. This therapy increases neural connectivity and cortical thickness in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, and even in the insular cortex. Conclusion: Music therapy causes structural changes in the brain that have a favourable impact on cognition. In patients with stroke, these improvements occur during both acute and chronic stages. In the case of dementia, in contrast, the effects of music therapy are only observed in patients with mild to moderate dementia.
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    Neuropsychological profiles and neural correlates in typical and atypical variants of Alzheimer disease: A systematic qualitative review
    (2022) Fredes-Roa, C.; Gutiérrez-Barría, F.; Ramírez-Bruna, C.; Cigarroa, Igor; Martella, D.; Julio Ramos, Teresa Paz; Méndez Orellana, Carolina Patricia; Toloza Ramírez, David Isaias
    Introduction: Neuropsychological symptoms and cortical atrophy patterns show similarities between typical Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and its variants. Thus, correct diagnosis is difficult, leading to errors in the therapeutic process. Indeed, the challenge in cognitive neuroscience focuses on identifying key features of cognitive-linguistic profiles and improving the knowledge of neural correlates for accurate differential diagnosis between the heterogeneous profiles of typical and atypical AD. Aim: This systematic review aims to describe different AD profiles, considering their neuropsychological symptoms and neural correlates. Methods: The present study followed the PRISMA guidelines and included studies from the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, published between 2011 and 2021. Results: Thirty-one articles were included in this systematic review for critical analysis. Results suggest significant declines in episodic and working memory and executive function. Likewise, in all groups, verbal fluency and visuospatial/visuoconstructive skills declined. However, these symptoms overlap between typical AD, logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia, posterior cortical atrophy, behavioural/dysexecutive or frontal variant AD, and corticobasal syndrome. On the other hand, the neural correlate showed a pattern of atrophy in frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital areas, even compromising the cuneus and precuneus. Conclusion: Spontaneous language and semantic and phonological verbal fluency could be an important biomarker for differential diagnosis between typical AD and its atypical variants. Likewise, clinical assessment should consider using advanced neuroimaging techniques to establish early associations between brain dysfunction and neuropsychological performance, with particular attention to brain areas such as the cuneus and precuneus.