Environmental stressors, coupled with age-related neurodegeneration, may potentially contribute to the late-life recrudescence or emergence of PTSD symptoms in veterans exposed to combat-related trauma.

Aim:To assess cognitive function prospectively in women with early breast cancer before, during and after the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Between May 2000 and November 2001, 35 assessable patients were entered into the study. Thirty-one received oral cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) and four received epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by CMF ((cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil)). Testing consisted of the completion of a battery of neuropsychological and psychological inventories and was performed prior to chemotherapy and repeated after 3 (n = 31) and 6 months (n = 30) of chemotherapy and also 6 months after the completion of chemotherapy (n = 27). Results: Prior to chemotherapy a proportion of the patients already exhibited some evidence of impairment of cognitive function. However, on completion of chemotherapy, the neuropsychological scores for shortterm verbal memory and verbal learning were significantly lower than prior to, or 6 months after chemotherapy. In all other domains, cognitive function either remained constant or even appeared to improve. Symptom scales showed that fatigue, nausea and vomiting, constipation and diarrhea were worst half way through the chemotherapy. Quality of life scales indicated that functioning was best after completion of chemotherapy. Conclusion: Patients with early breast cancer may have impaired cognitive function before chemotherapy. Although transient deteriorations in verbal memory and verbal learning were observed on completion of chemotherapy, overall, cognitive function did not decline. It is likely that practice effects influenced our findings.

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AimsTo discuss the current methodological and conceptual difficulties inherent in characterizing the emotional manifestations of neurodegenerative disease through critically reviewing depression as a manifestation of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD).MethodsSelective literature review of the neurobiological, psychological, and physical basis of depressive symptoms in PD from 1993–2003, with reference to key earlier articles.ConclusionsThere are difficulties in defining the syndromes of PD itself as well as depression in PD. The use of more conceptually reductionistic definitions of emotion and behavior in comprehensive longitudinal studies of the natural history of PD is recommended.