The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS): methodology and baseline medical and neuropsychiatric characteristics of an elderly epidemiological non-demented cohort of Australians aged 70–90 years

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1248-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perminder S. Sachdev ◽  
Henry Brodaty ◽  
Simone Reppermund ◽  
Nicole A. Kochan ◽  
Julian N. Trollor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Clinical Chemistry ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Ageing Study

ABSTRACTBackground:The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (Sydney MAS) was initiated in 2005 to examine the clinical characteristics and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and related syndromes, and to determine the rate of change in cognitive function over time.Methods:Non-demented community-dwelling individuals (N = 1037) aged 70–90 were recruited from two areas of Sydney, following a random approach to 8914 individuals on the electoral roll. They underwent detailed neuropsychiatric and medical assessments and donated a blood sample for clinical chemistry, proteomics and genomics. A knowledgeable informant was also interviewed. Structural MRI scans were performed on 554 individuals, and subgroups participated in studies of falls and balance, metabolic and inflammatory markers, functional MRI and prospective memory. The cohort is to be followed up with brief telephone reviews annually, and detailed assessments biannually.Results:This is a generally well-functioning cohort mostly living in private homes and rating their health as being better than average, although vascular risk factors are common. Most (95.5%) participants or their informants identified a cognitive difficulty, and 43.5% had impairment on at least one neuropsychological test. MCI criteria were met by 34.8%; with19.3% qualifying for amnestic MCI, whereas 15.5% had non-amnestic MCI; 1.6% had impairment on neuropsychological test performance but no subjective complaints; and 5.8% could not be classified. The rate of MCI was 30.9% in the youngest (70–75) and 39.1% in the oldest (85–90) age bands. Rates of depression and anxiety were 7.1% and 6.9% respectively.Conclusions:Cognitive complaints are common in the elderly, and nearly one in three meet criteria for MCI. Longitudinal follow-up of this cohort will delineate the progression of complaints and objective cognitive impairment, and the determinants of such change.

Neuropsychological Test Performance in Framingham: A Descriptive Study

1987 ◽  
Vol 60 (3_part_2) ◽  
pp. 1023-1040
Author(s):  
Mary E. Farmer ◽  
Lon R. White ◽  
Steven J. Kittner ◽  
Edith Kaplan ◽  
Elizabeth Moes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Abstract Thinking ◽  
Framingham Study ◽  
Hearing Impairments

In 1976–1978, a battery of eight neuropsychologic tests was administered to 2,123 participants in the Framingham Study aged 55 to 89 yr. The battery was designed to sample multiple areas of cognitive function including language skills, memory, learning, reproduction of designs, attention, and abstract thinking. Performance is described for several groups in this population: a large community-dwelling sample, those with hearing impairments, and those with documented strokes. Performance is described by age, sex, and education strata for the community sample. This normative information should be useful for interpreting individual test performance on neuropsychological tests.

scholarly journals Neuropsychological Test Performance Among Native and Non-Native Swedes: Second Language Effects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Stålhammar ◽  
Per Hellström ◽  
Carl Eckerström ◽  
Anders Wallin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Boston Naming Test ◽  
Score Interpretation ◽  
Complex Figure ◽  
Language Effects ◽  
Verbal Component

Abstract Objective We aimed to study second language effects on neuropsychological (NP) test performance. Method We administered an NP test battery in Swedish to 322 healthy community dwelling participants, recruited through the Gothenburg Pilot phase of the Swedish CArdioPulmonary BioImage Study (SCAPIS Pilot). All participants were conversationally fluent Swedish speakers (237 native, 85 non-native, mean age 61.1 years). We compared the NP scores of native and non-native participants. We also investigated the influence of (a) age of arrival to Sweden, (b) majority language family of the birth country, and (c) proficiency in Swedish as assessed with a 30 item Boston naming test (BNT). Results Native speakers obtained better results on all NP tasks with a verbal component, whereas no significant differences were seen on completely nonverbal tasks (Rey complex figure). For non-native speakers, lower age at arrival to Sweden, arrival from a country where Swedish was also spoken, or arrival from a country with a majority language closer to Swedish, were all linked to better NP scores. Dichotomizing by BNT showed that normally-to-highly proficient non-native speakers obtained better scores. Conclusions Second language effects may contribute to misclassification of non-native speakers. Assumptions of fluency based on short conversations may be misleading. A proficiency assessment with BNT may improve NP score interpretation among non-native speakers.

scholarly journals Improving Dignity of Care in Community-Dwelling Elderly Patients with Cognitive Decline and Their Caregivers. The Role of Dignity Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Heifa Ounalli ◽  
David Mamo ◽  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Martino Belvederi Murri ◽  
Rosangela Caruso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Anticipatory Grief ◽  
Dignity Therapy ◽  
Existential Distress ◽  
Age Related

Demographic changes have placed age-related mental health disorders at the forefront of public health challenges over the next three decades worldwide. Within the context of cognitive impairment and neurocognitive disorders among elderly people, the fragmentation of the self is associated with existential suffering, loss of meaning and dignity for the patient, as well as with a significant burden for the caregiver. Psychosocial interventions are part of a person-centered approach to cognitive impairment (including early stage dementia and dementia). Dignity therapy (DT) is a therapeutic intervention that has been shown to be effective in reducing existential distress, mood, and anxiety symptoms and improving dignity in persons with cancer and other terminal conditions in palliative care settings. The aims of this paper were: (i) To briefly summarize key issues and challenges related to care in gerontology considering specifically frail elderly/elderly with cognitive decline and their caregivers; and (ii) to provide a narrative review of the recent knowledge and evidence on DT in the elderly population with cognitive impairment. We searched the electronic data base (CINAHL, SCOPUS, PSycInfo, and PubMed studies) for studies regarding the application of DT in the elderly. Additionally, given the caregiver’s role as a custodian of diachronic unity of the cared-for and the need to help caregivers to cope with their own existential distress and anticipatory grief, we also propose a DT-dyadic approach addressing the needs of the family as a whole.

The range and clinical impact of cognitive impairment in French patients with ALS: A cross-sectional study of neuropsychological test performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Gordon ◽  
Daniel Delgadillo ◽  
Ambre Piquard ◽  
Gaelle Bruneteau ◽  
Pierre-François Pradat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Clinical Impact ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

scholarly journals Mild cognitive impairment: historical development and summary of research

2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-367
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cross Sectional

This review article broadly traces the historical development, diagnostic criteria, clinical and neuropathological characteristics, and treatment strategies related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), The concept of MCI is considered in the context of other terms that have been developed to characterize the elderly with varying degrees of cognitive impairment Criteria based on clinical global scale ratings, cognitive test performance, and performance on other domains of functioning are discussed. Approaches employing clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, biological, and molecular genetic methodology used in the validation of MCI are considered, including results from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and postmortem investigations. Results of recent drug treatment studies of MCI and related methodological issues are also addressed.

scholarly journals Age, education and gender effects on neuropsychological functions in healthy Indian older adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravikesh Tripathi ◽  
Keshav Kumar ◽  
Srikala Bharath ◽  
P. Marimuthu ◽  
Mathew Varghese
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Low Education ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Low Educated

ABSTRACT It is essential to use culturally appropriate, sensitive and specific tests that reflect true cognitive performance. However, several factors including age, education and gender can influence neuropsychological test performance. Objective: To examine the effects of age, education and gender on neuropsychological function in older adults using measures of global cognitive screening, attention, working memory, executive functions, memory, construction, language and parietal focal signs. Methods: This is a cross sectional normative study of 180 community-dwelling normal older adults. All participants were screened with the Hindi Mental Status Examination (HMSE), Everyday Activities Scale for India (EASI), Edinburgh handedness inventory (EDI) and MINI Screen, and followed by a detailed neuropsychological assessment. Results: Stepwise regression analysis revealed that education was associated with better performance on all the neuropsychological tests. Females performed significantly better on measures of memory. Further, most of the illiterate subjects, including low educated participants, refused to cooperate on measures of executive functioning. Conclusion: Education was found to be the strongest determinant of neuropsychological test performance followed by age and gender. Our study demonstrates that Indian healthy normal older adults with low education perform poorly on measures of planning and working memory. Traditional measures of planning and working memory should be avoided or used cautiously in the presence of low education. There is an urgent need to develop tasks for measuring executive functions, especially in low educated Indian older adults.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document