Auditory attention in the amnesia of Alzheimer's disease; and the response to a central cholinesterase inhibitor

阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种最常见的痴呆症，通常与对最近的信息和事件的记忆力差有关。然而，在病程的早期，这种疾病会影响到其他的心理过程，而这些会导致记忆困难。因此，例如，当背景中有额外的对话时，要记住被告知的内容，就需要有能力专注于一个说话者，而不被其他说话者分散注意力。注意力依赖于一个特殊的右脑系统，其功能可以通过目前许可的药物来改善阿尔茨海默病的症状。我的研究计划使用成像技术来研究AD对注意系统功能和解剖完整性的影响，并将这些结果与年龄匹配的正常受试者进行比较。然后，我将研究用于治疗AD的药物对成像测量的影响，并将其与记忆和注意力心理测试中的任何变化联系起来。重要的是，我的研究将把成像测量的自然变异性与药物影响的自然变异性分开。这项研究将进一步加深我们对阿尔茨海默病对高级脑功能的影响及其治疗的认识。

Alzheimer‘s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is typically associated with poor memory for recent information and events. However, early in its course the disease affects other mental processes, and these contribute to the difficulties with memory. Thus, for example, remembering what one has been told when there are additional conversations in the background requires the ability to pay attention to one speaker and not be distracted by the others. Attention depends on a specialised right brain system, one whose function may be improved by the current drugs licensed to modify the symptoms of AD. My study plans to use imaging techniques to study the effects of AD on the functional and anatomical integrity of the attention system, and compare these results with those from age-matched normal subjects. I will then study the effects of a drug used to treat AD on the imaging measures, and relate these to any changes in psychological tests of memory and attention. Importantly, my study will separate natural variability in imaging measures from those due to the influence of the drug. This study will further our understanding of the effects of AD on higher brain functions and their treatment.