Detecting Change over Time: A Comparison of the SLUMS Examination and the MMSE in Older Adults at Risk for Cognitive Decline

BackgroundCognitive impairment and depression often co-occur in older adults, but it is not clear whether depression is a risk factor for cognitive decline, a psychological reaction to cognitive decline, or whether changes in depressive symptoms correlate with changes in cognitive performance over time. The co-morbid manifestation of depression and cognitive impairment may reflect either a causal effect or a common cause, depending on the specific symptoms experienced and the cognitive functions affected.MethodThe study sample comprised 1506 community-dwelling older adults aged ⩾65 years from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). We conducted cross-domain latent growth curve analyses to examine longitudinal associations between late-life depression dimensions (i.e. depressed affect, positive affect, and somatic symptoms) and specific domains of cognitive functioning (i.e. processing speed, inductive reasoning, immediate recall, and delayed recall).ResultsPoorer delayed recall performance at baseline predicted a steeper increase in depressed affect over time. Steeper decline in processing speed correlated with a steeper increase in somatic symptoms of depression over time.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a prospective association between memory function and depressed affect, whereby older adults may experience an increase in depressed affect in reaction to poor memory function. Somatic symptoms of depression increased concurrently with declining processing speed, which may reflect common neurodegenerative processes. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that depression symptoms may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in the general population. These findings have potential implications for the treatment of late-life depression and for the prognosis of cognitive outcomes.

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Trait mindfulness is associated with less amyloid, tau, and cognitive decline in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease

10.1101/2021.05.17.21257320 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cherie Strikwerda-Brown ◽

Hazal Ozlen ◽

Alexa Pichet Binette ◽

Marianne Chapleau ◽

Natalie Marchant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Older Adults ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

At Risk ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Present Moment ◽

Trait Mindfulness ◽

Cognitive Assessments ◽

Positron Emission

Mindfulness, defined as the ability to engage in non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, has been associated with an array of health benefits. Mindfulness may also represent a protective factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we tested the potential protective effect of trait mindfulness on cognitive decline and AD pathology in older adults at risk of AD dementia. Measures of trait mindfulness, longitudinal cognitive assessments, and AB- and tau- positron emission tomography (PET) scans were collected in 261 nondemented older adults with a family history of AD dementia from the PREVENT-AD observational cohort study. Multivariate partial least squares analyses were used to examine relationships between combinations of different facets of trait mindfulness and (1) cognitive decline, (2) AB, and (3) tau. Higher levels of trait mindfulness, particularly mindful nonjudgment, were associated with less cognitive decline, AB, and tau. Trait mindfulness may represent a psychological protective factor for AD dementia.

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Longitudinal Relationships Between Subjective Cognitive Decline and Objective Memory: Depressive Symptoms Mediate Between-Person Associations

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210230 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Nikki L. Hill ◽

Sakshi Bhargava ◽

Emily Bratlee-Whitaker ◽

Jennifer R. Turner ◽

Monique J. Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Future Research ◽

Over Time

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of cognitive impairment, but depressive symptoms can confound this relationship. Associations may be influenced by differences between individuals (i.e., between-persons) or how each individual changes in their experiences over time (i.e., within-persons). Objective: We examined depressive symptoms as a mediator of the between- and within-person associations of SCD and objective memory in older adults. Methods: Coordinated analyses were conducted across four datasets drawn from large longitudinal studies. Samples (range: n = 1,889 to n = 15,841) included participants 65 years of age or older with no dementia at baseline. We used multilevel structural equation modeling to examine the mediation of SCD and objective memory through depressive symptoms, as well as direct relationships among SCD, objective memory, and depressive symptoms. Results: Older adults who were more likely to report SCD had lower objective memory on average (between-person associations), and depressive symptoms partially mediated this relationship in three of four datasets. However, changes in depressive symptoms did not mediate the relationship between reports of SCD and declines in objective memory in three of four datasets (within-person associations). Conclusion: Individual differences in depressive symptoms, and not changes in an individual’s depressive symptoms over time, partially explain the link between SCD and objective memory. Older adults with SCD and depressive symptoms may be at greater risk for poor cognitive outcomes. Future research should explore how perceived changes in memory affect other aspects of psychological well-being, and how these relationships influence cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease risk.

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A randomized controlled trial of physical activity with individual goal-setting and volunteer mentors to overcome sedentary lifestyle in older adults at risk of cognitive decline: the INDIGO trial protocol

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-017-0617-y ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kay L. Cox ◽

Elizabeth V. Cyarto ◽

Christopher Etherton-Beer ◽

Kathryn A. Ellis ◽

Helman Alfonso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Goal Setting ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Trial Protocol ◽

Randomized Controlled

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

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.300 ◽

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.

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Evaluating PROMIS(®) applied cognition items in a sample of older adults at risk for cognitive decline

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2016.10.072 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 247 ◽

pp. 39-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Molly Howland ◽

Curtis Tatsuoka ◽

Kathleen A. Smyth ◽

Martha Sajatovic

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Cognitive Decline

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Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Choral Singing Intervention to Prevent Cognitive Decline in At-Risk Older Adults Living in the Community

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2018.00195 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jasmine Tan ◽

F. H. Maurine Tsakok ◽

Elisabeth K. Ow ◽

Bernard Lanskey ◽

Kian Siong Darius Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Study Protocol ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Choral Singing ◽

Randomized Controlled

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USE OF THE MENTAL FUNCTION INDEX IN OLDER ADULTS: RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND MEASUREMENT OF CHANGE OVER TIME

American Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113963 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 120 (6) ◽

pp. 922-935 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

R. I. PFEFFER ◽

T. T. KUROSAKI ◽

J. M. CHANCE ◽

S. FILOS ◽

D. BATES

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Mental Function ◽

Change Over Time ◽

Measurement Of Change ◽

Function Index ◽

Over Time

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The Longitudinal Relationships Between Social Isolation, Frailty, and Health Outcomes Among Canadian Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 173-174

Author(s):

Fereshteh Mehrabi ◽

François Béland

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Social Participation ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Over Time

Abstract Social isolation and frailty are global public health issues that may lead to poor health outcomes. We tested the two following hypotheses: 1) changes in social isolation and frailty are associated with adverse health outcomes over two years, 2) the associations between social isolation and health vary across different levels of frailty. We estimated a series of latent growth models to test our hypotheses using data from the FRéLE longitudinal study among 1643 Canadian community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and over. Missing data were handled by pattern mixture models with the assumption of missing not at random. We measured social isolation through social participation, social networks, and social support from different social ties. We assessed frailty using Fried’s criteria. Our results revealed that higher frailty at baseline was associated with a higher rate of comorbidity, depression, and cognitive decline over two years. Less social participation at baseline was associated with comorbidity, depression, and changes in cognitive decline. Less social support from friends, children, partner, and family at baseline was associated with comorbidity, cognitive decline, and changes in depression. Fewer contacts with grandchildren were related to cognitive decline over time. The associations of receiving less support from partner with depression and participating less in social activities with comorbidity, depression, and cognitive decline were higher among frail or prefrail than robust older adults over time. This longitudinal study suggests that intimate connectedness and social participation may ameliorate health status in frail older populations, highlighting the importance of age-friendly city policies.

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Using Digital Speech Assessments to Detect Early Signs of Cognitive Impairment

Frontiers in Digital Health ◽

10.3389/fdgth.2021.749758 ◽

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.

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