Attitudes Towards Dementia Among a Diverse Group of Refugees Resettled in the United States
Forced migration results in exposure to trauma, interrupted access to healthcare, and loss of social support and may increase dementia risk. Literature on refugees' knowledge of dementia and its risk factors is scant. This study investigates refugee perspectives on dementia and their access to cognitive healthcare in the United States (US).
The Associations of Sensory Impairment With 10-Year Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: The Health and Retirement Study, 2010-2020
Studies have examined the association between dual sensory impairment and late-life cognitive outcomes in the U.S with inconsistent findings.
Vitamin D Deficiency in the Acute Phase of Stroke May Predict Post-stroke Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
To conduct the association between vitamin D levels in the acute phase of stroke and post-stroke depression (PSD) in stroke patients.
Socioenvironmental Factors are Associated With Dopamine Transporter Availability in Healthy Individuals but not in Parkinson's Disease
Social factors can influence the brain's dopaminergic function. This study investigated the relationship between socioenvironmental factors and dopamine transporter (DaT) availability in healthy individuals (n = 74) and those with Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 240).
Pyridostigmine for the Management of Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension: A Systemic Review
Pyridostigmine is hypothesized to improve neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH) symptoms without causing or exacerbating supine hypertension. The objective of this review was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pyridostigmine for management of nOH.
Associations of Tai Chi With Depression and Anxiety Among Older Adults: Nationwide Study Findings From a Network Perspective
Within the global population, depression and anxiety are common among older adults. Tai Chi is believed to have a positive impact on these disturbances. This study examined the network structures of depression and anxiety among older Tai Chi practitioners vs non-practitioners. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to construct a non-practitioner group based on Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) data. 346 Tai Chi practitioners and 1019 non-practitioners were included. The prevalence and severity rates of depression were significantly lower among Tai Chi practitioners compared to non-practitioners though there was no group difference for anxiety. Network analysis showed that, among Tai Chi practitioners, "Felt sadness", "Uncontrollable worrying" and "Trouble relaxing" were the most central symptoms. In contrast, among non-practitioners, the most central symptoms were "Felt sadness", "Uncontrollable worrying", and "Nervousness". Key bridge symptoms linking depressive and anxiety symptoms were "Worry too much", "Bothered by things" and "Uncontrollable worrying" in Tai Chi practitioners and "Nervousness", "Felt nervous/fearful" and "Sleep quality" in non-practitioners. This study underscored how practising Tai Chi is associated with reduced overall prevalence and severity of depression and different interactions of depressive and anxiety symptoms among older adults. Central and bridge symptoms differed between Tai Chi practitioners and non-practitioners.
Associations of Traumatic Brain Injury and Mild Behavioral Impairment With Cognitive Function and Dementia
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) may contribute additional complexity to the clinical picture of mild behavioral impairment (MBI). MBI, a behavioral analog to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is comprised of five neuropsychiatric domains: decreased motivation, affective dysregulation, impulse dyscontrol, social inappropriateness, and abnormal perception/thought content. We investigated (1) if cross-sectional associations of cognitive status with MBI symptoms differ by TBI status and (2) if prospective associations of MBI domain positivity with incident dementia risk differ by TBI status.
Dementia Specialty Care Clinicians' Perspectives on Their Role in the Dementia Diagnostic Process and Diagnostic Disclosure
Delivering a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) can be challenging not just for patients and families, but also for clinicians. Our objective was to understand dementia specialty care clinicians' perspectives on their role in diagnosis and diagnostic disclosure in dementia.
A Comparison of Test-Retest Reliability and Practice Effects of Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire and Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Patients with Stroke
To compare the test-retest reliabilities and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire (SPMSQ) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in patients with stroke.
Impact of Anticholinergic Burden and Clinical-Demographic Characteristics on Incident Dementia in Parkinson Disease
Anticholinergic medication use measured via the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale has been associated with an increased dementia incidence in older adults but has not been explored specifically for Parkinson disease dementia (PDD). We used adjusted Cox models to estimate the risk of incident PDD associated with demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and time-varying total ACB in a longitudinal, deeply-phenotyped prospective PD cohort.
Alterations in Response Switching in Parkinson's Disease: New Insights Into Cueing
Switching, a critical executive function, can manifest as task switching (TS) or response switching (RS). Although TS impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) are well-studied, RS, especially in contexts requiring adaptive behavior to external or internal cues, is less explored. This study evaluated the impact of PD on RS under exogenous and endogenous cueing. Using a gamified, remote task triggering these cues, RS was assessed in 85 PD patients and 82 neurologically healthy participants (NHP). RS cost was quantified by comparing reaction times between repeating and changing responses. A linear mixed model analyzed the effects of group, cueing mode, and their interaction on RS cost. PD patients exhibited increased RS costs under exogenous cueing but not under endogenous cueing. These findings indicate that while PD patients can effectively use predictive endogenous cues, they struggle with less predictive exogenous cues, emphasizing the need for compensatory strategies and technological aids in daily activities.
Sleep and Depressive Symptoms in Sedentary Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Sleep Complaints: Findings From Ambulatory Sleep EEG
There is limited and inconsistent evidence on the association between electroencephalography (EEG) measured sleep and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between EEG-measured sleep and depressive symptoms.
Initiation of Hearing Aids Use and Incident Dementia Among Mid-to-late Life Adults: The Health and Retirement Study 2010-2018
Hearing aids may reduce the risk of dementia among individuals with hearing loss. However, no evidence is available from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of hearing aids use in reducing incident dementia. Using target trial emulation, we leveraged an existing longitudinal cohort study to estimate the association between hearing aids initiation and risk of dementia.
The Association Between Bilingual Animal Naming and Memory Among Bilingual Mexican American Older Adults
Monolingual cognitive assessments are standard for bilinguals; the value of bilingual assessment is unknown. Since declines in animal naming accompany memory declines in dementia, we examined the association between bilingual animal naming and memory among bilingual Mexican American (MA) older adults.
An SBM and TBSS Analysis in Early-stage Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Dementias, and Corticobasal Syndrome
To compare gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body dementias (LBD), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and healthy controls (HC).
Association Between Antipsychotic Medication Use and Dementia Risk in Patients With Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
To determine the association between antipsychotic prescriptions and incident dementia in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
A Proposed Algorithm for the Pharmacological Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the Older Patient
This is a new algorithm from the Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project at the Harvard South Shore Program, focused on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in older adults. Pertinent articles were identified and reviewed.
Licochalcone A Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction in an Alzheimer's Disease Model by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Apoptosis
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced neurodegeneration has been considered an underlying cause of Alzheimer disease (AD). Here, we investigated the beneficial effects of licochalcone A (Lico A), a valuable flavonoid of the root of the Glycyrrhiza species, against cognitive impairment in AD by regulating ER stress.
Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease With Botulinum Toxin A: A 12 week Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
The study aimed to evaluate the impact of Botulinum toxin A (BoNT/A) on neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
Increased Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index as a Novel Indicator of Alzheimer's Disease Severity
Inflammatory processes and neurodegeneration are common features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are easily accessible, cost-effective prognostic indicators of inflammation status. We assessed the diagnostic value of SII and compared the efficacies of NLR, PLR, and SII in predicting AD severity.
Co-Occurring Mental and Physical Health Conditions Among Older Adults With and Without Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Control Study
Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among older adults range from 0.4%-4.5%. Research examining PTSD in adults has demonstrated numerous associations between physical and mental health conditions; however, these are less well characterized in older adults. The current study aimed to identify base rates of such conditions among older adults with and without a history of PTSD.