scholarly journals COGNITIVE AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS IN OLDER ADULTS: EVIDENCE FROM THE HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S77-S77
Author(s):  
Jessica S West ◽  
Scott Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Hearing Impairments ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract As the number of older adults increases, increased prevalence of cognitive and sensory impairments pose growing public health challenges. Research on the relationship between hearing impairment and cognition, however, is minimal and has yielded mixed results, with some studies finding that hearing impairment is associated with cognitive decline, and others reporting that the association is weak or non-existent. Most of this research has been conducted outside of the U.S., and the few U.S.-based longitudinal studies have relied mostly on small, non-representative samples involving short follow-up periods. Further, despite known gendered patterns in cognitive and hearing impairments, no studies to date have examined whether the relationship between the two varies by gender. Our study addresses these weaknesses in the literature by utilizing nine waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014; n=14,169), a large, nationally representative, longitudinal study that facilitates examination of long-term interrelationships between hearing and cognitive impairments. In this study, we use autoregressive latent trajectory (ALT) methods to model: 1) the relationship between hearing impairment and cognitive decline, and 2) sex differences in the relationship. ALT models enable us to determine whether hearing impairment and cognitive impairment are associated, net of their common tendency simply to co-trend with age. Results indicate that hearing and cognitive impairments are strongly interrelated processes that trend together over time. Moreover, hearing impairment has an increasing impact on cognitive impairment across age while the effect of cognitive impairment on hearing impairment levels out over time. Sex differences in these patterns are discussed.

scholarly journals Using Digital Speech Assessments to Detect Early Signs of Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Robin ◽  
Mengdan Xu ◽  
Liam D. Kaufman ◽  
William Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Assessment Task ◽  
Early Signs ◽  
Over Time

Detecting early signs of cognitive decline is crucial for early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. Most of the current screening tools for Alzheimer's Disease represent a significant burden, requiring invasive procedures, or intensive and costly clinical testing. Recent findings have highlighted changes to speech and language patterns that occur in Alzheimer's Disease, and may be detectable prior to diagnosis. Automated tools to assess speech have been developed that can be used on a smartphone or tablet, from one's home, in under 10 min. In this study, we present the results of a study of older adults who completed a digital speech assessment task over a 6-month period. Participants were grouped according to those who scored above (N = 18) or below (N = 18) the recommended threshold for detecting cognitive impairment on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and those with diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer's Disease (AD) (N = 14). Older adults who scored above the MoCA threshold had better performance on speech composites reflecting language coherence, information richness, syntactic complexity, and word finding abilities. Those with MCI and AD showed more rapid decline in the coherence of language from baseline to 6-month follow-up, suggesting that this score may be useful both for detecting cognitive decline and monitoring change over time. This study demonstrates that automated speech assessments have potential as sensitive tools to detect early signs of cognitive impairment and monitor progression over time.

Perceived loneliness among older adults with mild cognitive impairment

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1681-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhong Yu ◽  
Charlene L. M. Lam ◽  
Tatia M. C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACTBackground:The high prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Hong Kong, as previously reported, requires verification. Furthermore, the relationship between loneliness, depression, and cognitive impairment with regards to MCI are unclear. The present study aims to establish the prevalence of MCI in a community sample in Hong Kong and determine if participants with MCI feel significantly lonelier, even after depression has been taken into consideration.Methods:Participants from a community sample (N = 376) were assessed with subjective and objective measures of cognitive impairments to determine whether the criteria had been met for MCI. The MCI cases are then compared with age, sex, and education-matched controls on subjective measures of loneliness and depression.Results:A total of 66 (17.6%) participants were diagnosed with MCI. These participants reported significantly higher levels of perceived loneliness and depression compared to the matched controls. Differences between groups in loneliness remained significant, even after depression levels have been controlled.Conclusions:Loneliness is implicated in MCI. The relationship between loneliness and MCI is, at least, partially independent of depression. The implications of these finding are discussed.

scholarly journals Social Isolation and Loneliness: Moderators of the Relationship Between Sensory Impairment and Cognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 474-474
Author(s):  
Alison Huang ◽  
George Rebok ◽  
Bonnielin Swenor ◽  
Jayant Pinto ◽  
Linda Waite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Hearing and vision impairment have been independently linked to accelerated cognitive decline in older adults, however there is limited evidence on the effect of dual sensory impairment (DSI) (both hearing and vision impairment) on cognition. Additionally, the impact of social isolation and loneliness, both correlates of DSI and independent risk factors for cognitive decline, on the DSI-cognition relationship has yet to be studied. Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N=3,091), multivariable linear regression models were used to describe the cross-sectional relationship between self-reported functional sensory impairment (none, hearing only, vision only, DSI) and cognitive function, measured by the survey adapted Montreal Cognitive Assessment. We also included an interaction term in the model to investigate whether cognition is worse among older adults with sensory impairment who also are socially isolated or lonely. Participants in this sample are between 62-91 years with 15% reporting hearing impairment, 11% reporting vision impairment, and 7% reporting DSI. DSI was associated with significantly lower global cognitive function compared to no sensory impairment (-0.31 standard deviations (SD), 95% CI:-0.44 to-0.18), hearing impairment alone (-0.29 SD, 95% CI: -0.44 to -0.15), and vision impairment alone (-0.22 SD, 95% CI: -0.39 to -0.06). Furthermore, cognitive function was significantly worse among older adults with both DSI and smaller social networks (p-interaction <0.05). No differences in the DSI-cognition relationship were observed by level of loneliness. These findings add to the limited research on the relationship between DSI, social isolation and loneliness, and cognition.

scholarly journals Sensory Impairment and Social Isolation: Implications for the Hispanic Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 617-617
Author(s):  
Stephanie Richardson ◽  
Corinna Tanner ◽  
Jeremy Yorgason
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Hispanic Population ◽  
Hearing Impairments ◽  
Hispanic Origin ◽  
Sensory Impairments ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Although the likelihood of developing a disability increases with age among all demographics, older adults of hispanic origin are more likely to experience vision and hearing impairment than both their white and black non-hispanic counterparts. Both hearing impairment and vision impairment are known risk factors for social isolation, yet little research has examined this association in Hispanic populations. Using data from 472 Hispanic and 5,186 White participants of the NHATS study, we examined 8-year trajectories of social isolation, along with how sensory impairment was associated with initial levels and change over time. Findings suggest that sensory impairments are linked with steeper increases over time among White participants. Among Hispanics vision and hearing impairments were linked with higher initial levels of social isolation, yet no associations were found across time. It may be that Hispanic older adults maintain social connections across time despite potentially isolating sensory impairments.

scholarly journals The CoGenT3 Study: Examining Gender’s Impact on Education and Cognition Trends in Three American Generations

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 696-697
Author(s):  
Shana Stites ◽  
Hannah Cao ◽  
Jeanine Gill ◽  
Kristin Harkins ◽  
Jonathan Rubright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
College Education ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract How older adults protect their cognitive health, reduce their risk for cognitive decline, and manage cognitive changes vary for men and women. To advance what is known about these differences and to promote inclusion of sexual and gender minorities in research, we are developing an empirically-informed research framework for studying gender effects in aging and Alzheimer’s research. In this presentation, we describe the framework informing our approach and present results from analyses of gender effects in The Health and Retirement Study that examine gender differences in the associations observed between education and cognitive measures in older adults. Our findings show gender’s effects on education vary in direction and magnitude as gender norms changed over time. Although college education serves as a factor protective against cognitive decline, characteristics of who achieves a four-year college degree change over time. We discuss the implications of our results for aging and Alzheimer’s disease research.

scholarly journals PURPOSE IN LIFE PROTECTS AGAINST COGNITIVE DECLINE AMONG OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S650-S651
Author(s):  
Giyeon Kim ◽  
Su Hyun Shin ◽  
Monica Scicolone ◽  
Patricia A Parmelee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Curve Modeling ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Objective: This study examined whether having a sense of purpose in life protects against cognitive decline among older adults and whether purpose in life moderates the relationship between selected risk factors (age, sex, and race/ethnicity) and cognitive abilities. Methods: This was a longitudinal analysis of existing secondary data of adults (N = 11,557) aged 50 or older using the 2006 −2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. The study measured purpose in life, cognitive functioning score, and various covariates. Results: Growth curve modeling revealed that, after adjusting for covariates, purpose in life was positively associated with participants’ total cognition scores. Purpose in life significantly moderated the relationship between age and race/ethnicity and cognitive decline. Further, purpose in life was a protective factor against cognitive decline for those who were older and black. There was no significant interaction between purpose in life and sex. Conclusion: Having a purposeful life protects against cognitive decline in older adults, and the associations varied by age and race/ethnicity, but not by sex. Potential ways to increase purpose in life are discussed in a clinical context.

scholarly journals INTERNET USE AND LONELINESS OF OLDER ADULTS OVER TIME: THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF SOCIAL CONTACT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S194-S194
Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Shinyi Wu ◽  
Iris Chi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Total Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Longitudinal Association ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Internet is increasingly popular among older adults and have changed interpersonal interactions. However, it remains controversial whether older people are more or less lonely with internet use. This paper tests the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness among older people. One pathway that explains the association, the mediation effect of social contact, was examined. Data from the 2006, 2010 and 2014 waves of Health and Retirement Study was used. Hierarchical liner modeling results showed internet use was related to decreased loneliness over 12-year period of time (b=-0.044, p<.001). Internet use was associated with more social contact with family and friends overtime (b=0.261, p<.001), social contact was related to less perceived loneliness longitudinally (b=0.097, p<.001). The total effect of internet use on loneliness is -0.054 and the mediated effect is -0.025. The findings imply that online activities can be effective for reducing loneliness for older people through increased social contact.

165 Sex differences in the relationship between self-reported sleep quality and frailty in South Florida older adult outpatients

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A67-A67
Author(s):  
Sonya Kaur ◽  
Katalina McInerney ◽  
Mitchell Slugh ◽  
Annelly Bure ◽  
Marina Sarno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Brain Research ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Depression Status ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Introduction Frailty, a multidimensional construct of decreased reserve is an important predictor of functional independence and quality of life in older adults. There is a growing body of evidence highlighting reduced sleep efficiency and sleep duration predicts frailty in older adults. However, the sex differences in these relationships have been understudied. Methods 253 participants (163) ranging in age from 50-92 years (mean= 67.59 years, S.D.= 9.22 years), underwent frailty assessment and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Statistical moderation was assessed using nonparametric bootstrapping. All models statistically controlled for age, education and depression status. Results Higher scores on the PSQI predicted higher levels of fatigue (β=1.87, 95% CI= 0.48-3.27) and higher grip strength with the left hand (β= 0.81, 95% CI= 0.85-1.53). These relationships were significantly moderated by sex (β=-0.77, p=0.05 & β=-0.52, p=0.01). Specifically, high scores on the PSQI predicted more fatigue stronger grip strength in men (β=1.11, 95% CI=0.41-1.81) and weaker grip strength in women (β=-0.25, 95% CI=-0.51--0.02). There was no association between scores on the ESS and any of the frailty measures. Conclusion The relationships between PSQI scores and measures of fatigue and grip strength were statistically moderated by sex. These differences are not explained by sex differences in overall sleep quality or baseline frailty. This is consistent with the literature emphasizing sex differences in the effects of risk/lifestyle factors. It is possible that the relationship between sleep quality and frailty is altered by additional hormonal factors and warrant further investigation. Support (if any) This research was supported by the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation

scholarly journals The Role of High Triglycerides Level in Predicting Cognitive Impairment: A Review of Current Evidence

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2118
Author(s):  
Alina Mihaela Dimache ◽  
Delia Lidia Șalaru ◽  
Radu Sascău ◽  
Cristian Stătescu
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Barrier Dysfunction ◽  
Serum Triglycerides ◽  
Cerebral Amyloidosis ◽  
The Relationship

The burden of cognitive disorders is huge and still growing, however the etiology and the degree of cognitive impairment vary considerably. Neurodegenerative and vascular mechanisms were most frequently assessed in patients with dementia. Recent studies have shown the possible involvement of triglycerides levels in cognitive function through putative mechanisms such as brain blood barrier dysfunction or amyloid metabolism imbalance, but not all research in the field found this association. Several clinical studies evaluated the relationship between different forms of cognitive decline and levels of serum triglycerides, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. This review focuses on the role of triglycerides in cognitive decline, cerebral amyloidosis and vascular impairment. Considering that the management of hypertriglyceridemia benefits from lifestyle modification, diet, and specific drug therapy, future studies are requested to appraise the triglycerides–cognitive impairment relationship.

scholarly journals Lower functional hippocampal redundancy in mild cognitive impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Langella ◽  
◽  
Muhammad Usman Sadiq ◽  
Peter J. Mucha ◽  
Kelly S. Giovanello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Network Efficiency ◽  
Cognitively Normal ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractWith an increasing prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in response to an aging population, it is critical to identify and understand neuroprotective mechanisms against cognitive decline. One potential mechanism is redundancy: the existence of duplicate elements within a system that provide alternative functionality in case of failure. As the hippocampus is one of the earliest sites affected by AD pathology, we hypothesized that functional hippocampal redundancy is protective against cognitive decline. We compared hippocampal functional redundancy derived from resting-state functional MRI networks in cognitively normal older adults, with individuals with early and late MCI, as well as the relationship between redundancy and cognition. Posterior hippocampal redundancy was reduced between cognitively normal and MCI groups, plateauing across early and late MCI. Higher hippocampal redundancy was related to better memory performance only for cognitively normal individuals. Critically, functional hippocampal redundancy did not come at the expense of network efficiency. Our results provide support that hippocampal redundancy protects against cognitive decline in aging.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document