Mindfulness attenuates the impact of worry on late-life cognitive function

The prevalence of cognitive impairment caused by neurodegenerative diseases and other neurologic disorders associated with aging is expected to rise dramatically between now and year 2050, when the population of Americans aged 65 or older will nearly double. Cognitive impairment also commonly occurs in other neurologic conditions, as well as in non-neurologic medical disorders (and their treatments), idiopathic psychiatric illnesses, and adult neurodevelopmental disorders. Cognitive impairment can thus infiltrate all aspects of healthcare, making it necessary for clinicians and clinical researchers to have an integrated knowledge of the spectrum of adult cognitive disorders. The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders is meant to serve as an up-to-date, scholarly, and comprehensive volume covering most diseases, conditions, and injuries resulting in impairments in cognitive function in adults. Topics covered include normal cognitive and brain aging, the impact of medical disorders (e.g., cardiovascular, liver, pulmonary) and psychiatric illnesses (e.g., depression and bipolar disorder) on cognitive function, adult neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), as well as the various neurological conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, concussion). A section of the Handbook is also dedicated to unique perspectives and special considerations for the clinicians and clinical researchers, covering topics such as cognitive reserve, genetics, diversity, and neuroethics. The target audience of this Handbook includes: (1) clinicians, particularly psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurologists (including behavioral and cognitive neurologists), geriatricians, and psychiatrists (including neuropsychiatrists), who provide clinical care and management for adults with a diverse range of cognitive disorders; (2) clinical researchers who investigate cognitive outcomes and functioning in adult populations; and (3) graduate level students and post-doctoral trainees studying psychology, clinical neuroscience, and various medical specialties.

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Vascular risk factors and incident late-life depression in a Korean population

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.105.015032 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 189 (1) ◽

pp. 26-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Jae-Min Kim ◽

Robert Stewart ◽

Sung-Wan Kim ◽

Su-Jin Yang ◽

Il-Seon Shin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Late Life ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Affective States ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Lower Baseline ◽

Vascular Status

BackgroundCausal relationships between vascular factors and late-life depression are controversial.AimsTo investigate prospective associations between risk factors for vascular disease and incidence of late-life depression.MethodOf 661 community participants aged 65 years or over, without depression at baseline, 521 (79%) were re-evaluated 2 years later. At baseline and follow-up, a diagnostic interview for depression was carried out and information on vascular status, disability and cognitive function was gathered.ResultsPre-existing heart disease, incident stroke and lower baseline high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were significantly associated with incidence of late-life depression, independently of disability and cognitive function.ConclusionsThese results provide some support for a vascular aetiology of late-life depression. However, important risk factors for cerebrovascular disease such as hypertension and diabetes were not implicated, and the associations with lipid levels might still be explained by affective states earlier in life.

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Effect of the Information Support Robot on the Daily Activity of Older People Living Alone in Actual Living Environment

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052498 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2498

Author(s):

Jumpei Mizuno ◽

Daisuke Saito ◽

Ken Sadohara ◽

Misato Nihei ◽

Shinichi Ohnaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Older People ◽

Daily Activity ◽

Living Environment ◽

Living Alone ◽

Information Support ◽

Sleep Patterns ◽

High Cognitive Function ◽

Environment Study ◽

The Impact

Information support robots (ISRs) have the potential to assist older people living alone to have an independent life. However, the effects of ISRs on the daily activity, especially the sleep patterns, of older people have not been clarified; moreover, it is unclear whether the effects of ISRs depend on the levels of cognitive function. To investigate these effects, we introduced an ISR into the actual living environment and then quantified induced changes according to the levels of cognitive function. Older people who maintained their cognitive function demonstrated the following behavioral changes after using the ISR: faster wake-up times, reduced sleep duration, and increased amount of activity in the daytime (p < 0.05, r = 0.77; p < 0.05, r = 0.89, and p < 0.1, r = 0.70, respectively). The results suggest that the ISR is beneficial in supporting the independence of older people living alone since living alone is associated with disturbed sleep patterns and low physical activity. The impact of the ISR on daily activity was more remarkable in the subjects with high cognitive function than in those with low cognitive function. These findings suggest that cognitive function is useful information in the ISR adaptation process. The present study has more solid external validity than that of a controlled environment study since it was done in a personal residential space.

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Risk of Nursing Home Use Among Older Americans: The Impact of Psychiatric History and Trajectories of Cognitive Function

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbab045 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria T Brown ◽

Miriam Mutambudzi

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Latent Class ◽

Study Data ◽

Psychiatric Training ◽

Psychiatric History ◽

Term Care ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Course Variables ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objectives Mental illness and cognitive functioning may be independently associated with nursing home use. We investigated the strength of the association between baseline (1998) psychiatric history, 8-year cognitive function trajectories, and prospective incidence of nursing home use over a 10-year period while accounting for relevant covariates in U.S. adults aged 65 and older. We hypothesized that self-reported baseline history of psychiatric, emotional, or nervous problems would be associated with a greater risk of nursing home use and that cognition trajectories with the greatest decline would be associated with a subsequent higher risk of nursing home use. Methods We used 8 waves (1998–2016) of Health and Retirement Study data for adults aged 65 years and older. Latent class mixture modeling identified 4 distinct cognitive function trajectory classes (1998–2006): low-declining, medium-declining, medium-stable, and high-declining. Participants from the 1998 wave (N = 5,628) were classified into these 4 classes. Competing risks regression analysis modeled the subhazard ratio of nursing home use between 2006 and 2016 as a function of baseline psychiatric history and cognitive function trajectories. Results Psychiatric history was independently associated with greater risk of nursing home use (subhazard ratio [SHR] 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.51, p < .01), net the effects of life course variables. Furthermore, “low-declining” (SHR 2.255, 95% CI 1.70–2.99, p < .001) and “medium-declining” (2.103, 95% CI 1.69–2.61, p < .001) trajectories predicted increased risk of nursing home use. Discussion Evidence of these associations can be used to educate policymakers and providers about the need for appropriate psychiatric training for staff in community-based and residential long-term care programs.

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The impact of long- and short-term exposure to different ambient air pollutants on cognitive function in China

Environment International ◽

10.1016/j.envint.2021.106416 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 151 ◽

pp. 106416

Author(s):

Huaxi Gao ◽

Jieran Shi ◽

Hongguang Cheng ◽

Yaqin Zhang ◽

Yan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Short Term ◽

Ambient Air Pollutants ◽

Short Term Exposure ◽

The Impact

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UTILIZING NUTRITION SERVICES PROVIDERS TO PREVENT LATE-LIFE SUICIDE: IMPLEMENTING A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3039 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S824-S825

Author(s):

Matthew C Fullen ◽

Mary Chase Mize ◽

Laura R Shannonhouse

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Suicide Prevention ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Late Life ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Community Based ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Nutrition Services ◽

Suicide Prevention Training ◽

The Impact

Abstract A challenge in preventing late-life suicide is identifying and responding to persons-at-risk prior to a suicide attempt. Distressed older adults are less likely to turn to a mental health professional, meaning that community-based prevention strategies are vitally important to comprehensive prevention frameworks. Due to their “natural helper” role, nutrition services (NS) volunteers may be well-positioned to identify suicide warning signs and respond accordingly. Unfortunately, there is a lack of systematic, empirically-tested evaluations of the effectiveness of community-based strategies to prevent older adult suicide, including the use of NS volunteers. To remedy this, the authors partnered with several home- and community-based service organizations to measure the impact of training nutrition services volunteers in suicide prevention skills. The authors will present preliminary findings from this federally-funded randomized, controlled trial of suicide prevention training (i.e., ASIST; safeTALK) on late-life suicidality and its correlates.

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