Do Worries About Cognitive Functioning and Concerns About Developing Alzheimer’s Disease Affect Psychological Well-Being?

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine if cognitive worries affect psychological well-being, if these effects are long-term, and if such concerns affect well-being more so among persons with a parent having Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: We used structural equation models with three waves of data collected from persons ages 40 to 60 at T1. We created summative scores on five indicators of concerns about cognitive functioning and worries about dementia. Well-being measures included depression, life satisfaction, stress, and mastery. Results: We found (a) cognitive worries at Waves 1, 2, and 3 were generally associated with lower levels of psychological well-being at each of these waves; (b) there was no evidence of long-term, lagged effects, and (c) these relationships were statistically similar across groups of adult children and controls. Discussion: Because concerns about cognitive functioning and developing AD are pervasive among middle-aged and older persons, practitioners should be aware of their potentially deleterious effect on psychological well-being.

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Verbal memory and hippocampal volume predict subsequent fornix microstructure in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Brain Imaging and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s11682-019-00183-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 2311-2322 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Junhong Yu ◽

◽

Tatia M. C. Lee

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Mean Diffusivity ◽

Hippocampal Atrophy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mci Due To Ad

Abstract While strong cross-sectional evidence supported the use of fornix microstructure as a marker for detecting Alzheimer’s disease (AD), longitudinal data remains inconclusive on the sequential nature of fornix microstructure abnormalities and AD progression. An unequivocal longitudinal relationship between fornix microstructure and markers of AD progression –memory impairment and hippocampal atrophy, must be established to validate fornix microstructure as a marker of AD progression. We included 115 participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative across the non-demented AD spectrum— defined as those who had at least one AD risk marker at baseline (e.g., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD diagnosis, amyloid or ApoE4 positivity) and/or ‘cognitively normal individuals who converted to MCI due to AD or AD, with structural and diffusion tensor imaging scans at baseline and two years follow-up. Hippocampal volumes (HV), fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in the fornix were extracted. Memory was indexed via composite scores of verbal memory tests. Structural equation models tested the bidirectional cross-lagged effects of fornix microstructure, memory, and HV. Impaired memory and smaller HV at baseline significantly predicted worse fornix microstructure (decreased FA and increased MD) two years later. Baseline fornix microstructure was not associated with subsequent changes in memory and HV. Fornix microstructure is compromised likely at a later stage, where significant decline in memory and hippocampal atrophy have occurred. This limits the utility of fornix microstructure in the early detection of AD. Our findings inform the possible pathophysiology and refined the use of AD neural markers.

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Long-term effects of intracranial islet grafting on cognitive functioning in a rat metabolic model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease-like dementia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0227879 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. e0227879

Author(s):

Konstantin Bloch ◽

Shay Henry Hornfeld ◽

Shira Dar ◽

Alexey Vanichkin ◽

Irit Gil-Ad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Metabolic Model ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Sporadic Alzheimer’S Disease

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Assessment of Cognitively Stimulating Activity in a Spanish Population

Assessment ◽

10.1177/1073191118774620 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 1310-1319 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Manuel Morales Ortiz ◽

Aaron Fernández

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Older Persons ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Active Ageing ◽

Age Related ◽

Effect Of Age

Theoretical models of active ageing and cognitive reserve emphasize the importance of leading an active life to delay age-related cognitive deterioration and maintain good levels of well-being and personal satisfaction in the elderly. The objective of this research was to construct a scale to measure cognitively stimulating activities (CSA) in the Spanish language. The sample consisted of a total of 453 older persons. The scale was constructed from a list of 28 items and validated using structural equation models. The scale obtained showed a negative correlation with age and a positive correlation with education and physical activity. Using hierarchical regression models, CSAs were found to have a significant effect on attention when controlling for the effect of age and education. Likewise, a significant interaction between age and CSA was found on the measure of episodic memory. The validated CSA scale will enable the relationships between changes in cognitive functions and stimulating activities to be studied.

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Effects of life review program on emotional well-being of Korean elderly with Alzheimer’s disease

American Journal of Recreation Therapy ◽

10.5055/ajrt.2008.0014 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 35

Author(s):

Yongho Lee, PhD, CTRS ◽

Carla E. S. Tabourne, PhD ◽

Jaesub Yoon, PhD

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Aging Process ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Life Review ◽

Therapeutic Recreation ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Korean Elderly

Emotional well-being is an important aspect of health for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, and self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction have been identified as factors that comprise emotional well-being. As individuals undergo physical and psychological change associated with aging process, they tend to review their lives to achieve a sense of well-being in an effort to compensate for loss due to aging process. It evidences in the literature that the life review program (LRP) is an effective therapeutic recreation intervention to increase emotional well-being of elders with Alzheimer’s disease. With 17 Korean elders with Alzheimer’s disease, the findings of the current study showed some significant effects on Korean elderly with Alzheimer's disease in their emotional well-being. Although long-term effects of the LRP were questionable, the LRP was effective to make a therapeutic change in emotional well-being of Korean elderly with Alzheimer's disease.

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Short and Longer Term Effects of Musical Intervention in Severe Alzheimer's Disease

Music Perception An Interdisciplinary Journal ◽

10.1525/mp.2012.29.5.533 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 533-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sylvain Clément ◽

Audrey Tonini ◽

Fatiha Khatir ◽

Loris Schiaratura ◽

Séverine Samson

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Emotional State ◽

Present Finding ◽

Well Being ◽

Music Intervention ◽

Short Term

in this study, we examined short and longer term effects of musical and cooking interventions on emotional well-being of severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. These two pleasurable activities (i.e., listening to music, tasting sweets) that were collectively performed (i.e., playing music together, collaborative preparation of a cake) were compared in two groups of matched patients with AD (N = 14). Each intervention lasted four weeks (two sessions per week) and their effects were regularly assessed up to four weeks after the end of the intervention. We repeatedly evaluated the emotional state of both groups before, during, and after the intervention periods by analyzing discourse content and facial expressions from short filmed interviews as well as caregivers' judgments of mood. The results reveal short-term benefits of both music and cooking interventions on emotional state on all these measures, but long-term benefits were only evident after the music intervention. The present finding suggests that non-pharmacological approaches offer promising methods to improve the quality of life of patients with dementia and that music stimulation is particularly effective to produce long lasting effects on patients' emotional well-being.

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Citicoline in the Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Blood Relatives of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Course Therapy

Psychiatry ◽

10.30629/2618-6667-2021-19-4-42-51 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 42-51

Author(s):

N. D. Seleznеva ◽

I. F. Roshchina ◽

E. V. Ponomareva ◽

S. Iv. Gavrilova

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Dysfunction ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Voluntary Attention

The aim was to study immediate and long-term (post-therapeutic) effects of a three-month course of therapy with citicoline in 1st-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). All the included relatives of patients with AD revealed signs of minimal cognitive dysfunction (MCD) and mild cognitive decline syndrome (MCI — Mild Cognitive Impairment, ICD-10 code F06.7). Study participants: the study involved 90 first-degree relatives: 24 with MCI and 66 with MCD. Study design: an open-label comparative multidisciplinary study of the six-month dynamics of cognitive functioning of two groups of relatives who received a three-month course of citicoline therapy. The baseline indicators of the cognitive functioning of relatives with MCI syndrome and MKD were compared with the indicators at the end of the three-month course of therapy with citicoline at a daily dose of 1000 mg as well as 3 months after the end of the course of treatment. Methods: clinical, psychopathological, neuropsychological, psychometric, genetic, statistical ones. Results: а significant positive effect of the course therapy with citicoline on the cognitive impairment of 1st degree AD-patients’ relatives with minimal cognitive dysfunction and more pronounced cognitive impairments met the diagnostic criteria for MCI syndrome has been found. A significantly greater value of both immediate and long-term therapeutic effect of MKD compared with MCI in relatives was established by psychometric and neuropsychological indicators characterizing voluntary memorization of verbal and visual stimuli, optical and spatial activity, voluntary attention, and associative verbal thinking. Conclusion: the results of the study can be used as the basis for a model of prevention of the progression of cognitive deficit and the development of dementia in persons with a high risk of developing AD, i.e. in individuals with both genetic risk and signs of cognitive impairment.

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