scholarly journals Assessing SSDoH in Alzheimer's Research: Core Measures and Those in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 80-81
Author(s):  
Shana Stites ◽  
Sharnita Midgett

Abstract Social and structural determinants of health (SSDoH) are conditions that can impact on Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) outcomes. We will describe theoretical underpinnings of core SSDoH constructs and their measure, empirical evidence for their importance, and their potential for elucidating disease and prevention mechanisms. We focus on a core set of SSDoH measures that are important across a broad range of socially and culturally heterogeneous populations. We outline a rationale for universal implementation of a set of SSDoH measures and juxtapose the approach with alternatives, such as investigator-initiated grants, aimed at collecting SSDoH data. We also speak very briefly about the evidence supporting assessing SSDoH with respect to sex, gender, and sexual orientation and considerations in doing this.

Author(s):  
Heather L. Armstrong

Sexual disorders and dysfunction are common among people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. And while definitions and conceptions of sexual health are typically broad, the clinical and research perspectives on sexual function and dysfunction have traditionally relied on the four-phase model of sexual response and disorders are generally classified as “male” or “female.” This chapter reviews the diagnostic criteria for specific sexual dysfunctions and presents a summary of existing research among sexual and gender minority populations. Overall, research on sexual dysfunction among sexual and gender minority people is limited, and this is especially true for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Understanding these often complex disorders requires that individuals, clinicians, and researchers consider a range of biopsychosocial factors that can affect and be affected by one’s sexual health and sexuality.


Author(s):  
Ellen E. H. Johnson ◽  
Claire Alexander ◽  
Grace J. Lee ◽  
Kaley Angers ◽  
Diarra Ndiaye ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Claudio Babiloni ◽  
Raffaele Ferri ◽  
Giuseppe Noce ◽  
Roberta Lizio ◽  
Susanna Lopez ◽  
...  

Background: In relaxed adults, staying in quiet wakefulness at eyes closed is related to the so-called resting state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms, showing the highest amplitude in posterior areas at alpha frequencies (8–13 Hz). Objective: Here we tested the hypothesis that age may affect rsEEG alpha (8–12 Hz) rhythms recorded in normal elderly (Nold) seniors and patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (ADMCI). Methods: Clinical and rsEEG datasets in 63 ADMCI and 60 Nold individuals (matched for demography, education, and gender) were taken from an international archive. The rsEEG rhythms were investigated at individual delta, theta, and alpha frequency bands, as well as fixed beta (14–30 Hz) and gamma (30–40 Hz) bands. Each group was stratified into three subgroups based on age ranges (i.e., tertiles). Results: As compared to the younger Nold subgroups, the older one showed greater reductions in the rsEEG alpha rhythms with major topographical effects in posterior regions. On the contrary, in relation to the younger ADMCI subgroups, the older one displayed a lesser reduction in those rhythms. Notably, the ADMCI subgroups pointed to similar cerebrospinal fluid AD diagnostic biomarkers, gray and white matter brain lesions revealed by neuroimaging, and clinical and neuropsychological scores. Conclusion: The present results suggest that age may represent a deranging factor for dominant rsEEG alpha rhythms in Nold seniors, while rsEEG alpha rhythms in ADMCI patients may be more affected by the disease variants related to earlier versus later onset of the AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Yu Fan ◽  
Hao-Lun Sun ◽  
Pu-Yang Sun ◽  
Jie-Ming Jian ◽  
Wei-Wei Li ◽  
...  

Recent studies show that fibrinogen plays a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which may be crucial to neurovascular damage and cognitive impairment. However, there are few clinical studies on the relationship between fibrinogen and AD. 59 11C-PiB-PET diagnosed AD patients and 76 age- and gender-matched cognitively normal controls were included to analyze the correlation between plasma β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau levels with fibrinogen levels. 35 AD patients and 76 controls with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were included to further analyze the correlation between CSF Aβ and tau levels with fibrinogen levels. In AD patients, plasma fibrinogen levels were positively correlated with plasma Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels, and negatively correlated with CSF Aβ42 levels. Besides, fibrinogen levels were positively correlated with CSF total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau) levels and positively correlated with the indicators of Aβ deposition in the brain, such as t-tau/Aβ42, p-tau/Aβ42 levels. In normal people, fibrinogen levels lack correlation with Aβ and tau levels in plasma and CSF. This study suggests that plasma fibrinogen levels are positively correlated with Aβ levels in the plasma and brain in AD patients. Fibrinogen may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinavahi V. P. S. Murty ◽  
Keerthana Manikandan ◽  
Ranjini Garani Ramesh ◽  
Simran Purokayastha ◽  
Bhargavi Nagendra ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) in elderly adds substantially to socio-economic burden necessitating early diagnosis. While recent studies in rodent models of AD have suggested diagnostic and therapeutic value for gamma rhythms in brain, the same has not been rigorously tested in humans. We recruited a large population (N=247; 106 females) of elderly (>49 years) individuals from the community, who viewed large gratings that induced strong gamma oscillations in their electroencephalogram (EEG). These individuals were classified as healthy (N=227), mild-cognitively-impaired (MCI; 14) or AD (6) based on clinical history and Clinical Dementia Rating scores. Surprisingly, stimulus-induced gamma rhythms, but not alpha or steady-state-visually-evoked-responses, were significantly lower in both MCI and AD patients compared to their age and gender matched controls. This reduction was not due to differences in eye movements or baseline power. Our results suggest that gamma could be used as potential diagnostic tool for MCI/AD in humans.One Sentence SummaryA large double-blinded EEG study suggests that narrow-band visual gamma rhythms are weaker in MCI/AD patients compared to cognitively healthy controls.


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