scholarly journals Vascular lesions and functional limitations among older adults: does depression make a difference?

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1501-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia F. Hybels ◽  
Carl F. Pieper ◽  
Lawrence R. Landerman ◽  
Martha E. Payne ◽  
David C. Steffens

ABSTRACTBackground:The association between disability and depression is complex, with disability well established as a correlate and consequence of late life depression. Studies in community samples report that greater volumes of cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) seen on brain imaging are linked with functional impairment. These vascular changes are also associated with late life depression, but it is not known if depression is a modifier in the relationship between cerebrovascular changes and functional impairment.Methods:The study sample was 237 older adults diagnosed with major depression and 140 never depressed comparison adults, with both groups assessed at study enrollment. The dependent variable was the number of limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADLs, and mobility tasks. The independent variable was the total volume of cerebral white matter lesions or hyperintensities assessed though magnetic resonance imaging.Results:In analyses controlling for age, sex, race, high blood pressure, and cognitive status, a greater volume of WMH was positively associated with the total number of functional limitations as well as the number of mobility limitations among those older adults with late life depression but not among those never depressed, suggesting the association between WMH volume and functional status differs in the presence of late life depression.Conclusions:These findings suggest older patients with both depression and vascular risk factors may be at an increased risk for functional decline, and may benefit from management of both cerebrovascular risk factors and depression.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Muhammad ◽  
Trupti Meher

Abstract Background Late-life depression (LLD) is considered as a prodrome to dementia and plays a major role in the development of long-term cognitive disabilities. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of LLD and cognitive impairment and to explore their associations among older adults in India. Methods Data for this study was derived from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1 (2017-18). The total sample included 31,464 (15,098 male and 16,366 female) older individuals aged 60 years and above. Cognitive impairment measured from various domains derived from the cognitive module of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and major depression measured by the CIDI-SF (Composite International Diagnostic Interview- Short Form) were the outcome variables. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed to fulfill the objectives of the study. Results The overall prevalence of LLD and cognitive impairment for the current sample was 8.7% and 13.7 % respectively. Among older individuals who have rated their health status as poor were 2.59 times more likely to suffer from LLD [OR: 2.59, CI: 2.24–2.99] as compared to their counterparts. The older adults who had difficulty in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were 74% and 69 % more likely to suffer from LLD. Similarly, older adults who were depressed had higher odds of cognitive impairment [OR: 1.22, CI: 1.01–1.48] compared to their counterparts. Also, older adults who were depressed and belonged to rural areas were 2.58 times [AOR: 2.58, CI: 1.95–3.41] more likely to be cognitively impaired than those who were not depressed and resided in urban areas. Conclusions Depression is linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia; therefore, failing to diagnose and treat LLD in later life may have significant health implications. Moreover, treatment under the care of a cognitive neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist is recommended for people with LLD and cognitive disability due to both the disorders' complex existence.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 981-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Gallagher ◽  
Aine Ni Mhaolain ◽  
Elaine Greene ◽  
Cathal Walsh ◽  
Aisling Denihan ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra M. Germain ◽  
John A. Batsis ◽  
Elizabeth Vasquez ◽  
Douglas R. McQuoid

Background.Obesity and muscle weakness are independently associated with increased risk of physical and functional impairment in older adults. It is unknown whether physical activity (PA) and muscle strength combined provide added protection against functional impairment. This study examines the association between muscle strength, PA, and functional outcomes in older adults with central obesity.Methods.Prevalence and odds of physical (PL), ADL, and IADL limitation were calculated for 6,388 community dwelling adults aged ≥ 60 with central obesity. Individuals were stratified by sex-specific hand grip tertiles and PA. Logistic models were adjusted for age, education, comorbidities, and body-mass index and weighted.Results.Overall prevalence of PL and ADL and IADL limitations were progressively lower by grip category. Within grip categories, prevalence was lower for individuals who were active than those who were inactive. Adjusted models showed significantly lower odds of PL OR 0.42 [0.31, 0.56]; ADL OR 0.60 [0.43, 0.84], and IADL OR 0.46[0.35, 0.61] for those in the highest grip strength category as compared to those in the lowest grip category.Conclusion.Improving grip strength in obese elders who are not able to engage in traditional exercise is important for reducing odds of physical and functional impairment.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Deng ◽  
David McMullin ◽  
Ferdinando Buonanno ◽  
Eng Lo ◽  
MingMing Ning

Background: Right-to-left interatrial shunting through a patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been associated with white matter lesions in literature and in our data. Since white matter lesions, particularly those in the periventricular and subcortical regions, increase the risk of cognitive impairment, we investigate the relationship between PFO shunting and dementia. Method: 1078 consecutive PFO stroke patients were prospectively recruited in accordance with IRB protocol. No patient had diagnosis of dementia prior to initial stroke. PFO shunt size was evaluated by echocardiography with saline contrast. Cognitive status and recurrent events were followed for up to 11 years. Result: 27 patients (2.50%) developed vascular cognitive impairment and dementia over 11 years. As expected, dementia patients were older (p<0.001) and were more likely to have hypertension (p<0.001) and hyperlipidemia (p=0.001) (Table 1). Notably, the dementia patients were also more likely to have a large PFO shunt (22.2% vs 8.3%, p=0.023). The association of PFO shunt and dementia remained robust (Odds ratio: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.11~8.55; p=0.031) after adjusting for important traditional risk factors (age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes). But PFO risk factors (hypermobile septum, atrial septal aneurysm) that enhance PFO shunting remain significant (Table 2). Conclusion: Our study provides support for the hypothesis that the presence of large PFO right-to-left shunting is associated with increased risk of later dementia. We previously reported that PFO shunting enables vasoactive factors to stay elevated in circulation and to contribute to cerebrovascular dysfunction. We hypothesize here that prolonged exposure to PFO shunting may lead to cognitive decline. Further studies assessing PFO shunt size, dementia severity, and other confounders in a non-stroke PFO cohort are ongoing to validate these findings.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (S3) ◽  
pp. 546-547
Author(s):  
F. Cyprien ◽  
P. Courtet ◽  
P. Poulain ◽  
J. Maller ◽  
C. Meslin ◽  
...  

BackgroundRecent research on late-life depression (LLD) pathophysiology suggests the implication of abnormalities in cerebral white matter [1] and particularly in interhemispheric transfer [2]. Corpus callosum (CC) is the main brain interhemispheric commissure [3]. Hence, we investigated the association between baseline CC measures and risk of LDD.MethodsWe studied 467 non-demented individuals without LLD at baseline from a cohort of community-dwelling people aged 80 years or younger (the ESPRIT study). LLD was assessed at year 2, 4, 7 and 10 of the study follow-up. At baseline, T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were manually traced to measure the mid-sagittal areas of the anterior, mid and posterior CC. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models stratified by sex were used to predict LLD incidence over 10 years.ResultsA significant interaction between gender and CC size was found (P = 0.02). LLD incidence in elderly women, but not in men, was significantly associated with smaller anterior (HR 1.37 [1.05–1.79] P = 0.017), mid (HR 1.43 [1.09–1.86] P = 0.008), posterior (HR1.39 [1.12–1.74] P = 0.002) and total (HR 1.53 [1.16–2.00] P = 0.002) CC areas at baseline in Cox models adjusted for age, education, global cognitive impairment, ischemic pathologies, left-handedness, white matter lesion, intracranial volume and past depression.LimitationsThe main limitation was the retrospective assessment of major depression.ConclusionsSmaller CC size is a predictive factor of incident LLD over 10 years in elderly women. Our finding suggests a possible role of CC and reduced interhemispheric connectivity in LLD pathophysiology. Extensive explorations are needed to clarify the mechanisms leading to CC morphometric changes in mood disorders.


Author(s):  
Katharine K Brewster ◽  
Mei-Chen Hu ◽  
Sigal Zilcha-Mano ◽  
Alexandra Stein ◽  
Patrick J Brown ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hearing loss (HL), late-life depression, and dementia are 3 prevalent and disabling conditions in older adults, but the interrelationships between these disorders remain poorly understood. Methods N = 8529 participants ≥60 years who were free of cognitive impairment at baseline were analyzed from National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. Participants had either No HL, Untreated HL, or Treated HL. Primary outcomes included depression (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale ≥5) and conversion to dementia. A longitudinal logistic model was fit to examine the association between HL and changes in depressive symptoms across time. Two Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine HL and the development of dementia: Model A included only baseline variables and Model B included time-varying depression to evaluate for the direct effect of changes in depression on dementia over time. Results Treated HL (vs no HL) had increased risk for depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.54, p = .02) and conversion to dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.03–1.62, p = .03). Baseline depression was a strong independent predictor of conversion to dementia (HR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.77–3.05, p &lt; .0001). Development/persistence of depression over time was also associated with dementia (HR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.47–2.42, p &lt; .0001), but only accounted for 6% of the direct hearing–dementia relationship (Model A logHR = 0.26 [SE = 0.12] to Model B logHR = 0.24 [SE = 0.12]) suggesting no significant mediation effect of depression. Conclusions Both HL and depression are independent risk factors for eventual conversion to dementia. Further understanding the mechanisms linking these later-life disorders may identify targets for early interventions to alter the clinical trajectories of at-risk individuals.


GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Grace C. Niu ◽  
Patricia A. Arean

The recent increase in the aging population, specifically in the United States, has raised concerns regarding treatment for mental illness among older adults. Late-life depression (LLD) is a complex condition that has become widespread among the aging population. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions and psychotherapies, few depressed older adults actually receive treatment. In this paper we review the research on refining treatments for LLD. We first identify evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for LLD and the problems associated with efficacy and dissemination, then review approaches to conceptualizing mental illness, specifically concepts related to brain plasticity and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). Finally, we introduce ENGAGE as a streamlined treatment for LLD and discuss implications for future research.


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