Longitudinal Trajectories in Cortical Thickness and Volume Atrophy: Superior Cognitive Performance Does Not Protect Against Brain Atrophy in Older Adults

Background: Previous research has identified a small subgroup of older adults that maintain a high level of cognitive functioning well into advanced age. Investigation of those with superior cognitive performance (SCP) for their age is important, as age-related decline has previously been thought to be inevitable. Objective: Preservation of cortical thickness and volume was evaluated in 76 older adults with SCP and 100 typical older adults (TOAs) assessed up to five times over six years. Methods: Regions of interest (ROIs) found to have been associated with super-aging status (a construct similar to SCP status) in previous literature were investigated, followed by a discovery phase analyses of additional regions. SCPs were aged 70 + at baseline, scoring at/above normative memory (CVLT-II) levels for demographically similar individuals aged 30–44 years old, and in the unimpaired range for all other cognitive domains over the course of the study. Results: In linear mixed models, following adjustment for multiple comparisons, there were no significant differences between rates of thinning or volume atrophy between SCPs and TOAs in previously identified ROIs, or the discovery phase analyses. With only amyloid-β negative individuals in the analyses, again there were no significant differences between SCPs and TOAs. Conclusion: The increased methodological rigor in classifying groups, together with the influence of cognitive reserve, are discussed as potential factors accounting for our findings as compared to the extant literature on those with superior cognitive performance for their age.

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The effect of age on postural and cognitive task performance while using vibrotactile feedback

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00083.2014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 113 (7) ◽

pp. 2127-2136 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Chia-Cheng Lin ◽

Susan L. Whitney ◽

Patrick J. Loughlin ◽

Joseph M. Furman ◽

Mark S. Redfern ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Balance Performance ◽

Vibrotactile Feedback ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Trunk Tilt ◽

Effect Of Age

Vibrotactile feedback (VTF) has been shown to improve balance performance in healthy people and people with vestibular disorders in a single-task experimental condition. It is unclear how age-related changes in balance affect the ability to use VTF and if there are different attentional requirements for old and young adults when using VTF. Twenty younger and 20 older subjects participated in this two-visit study to examine the effect of age, VTF, sensory condition, cognitive task, duration of time, and visit on postural and cognitive performance. Postural performance outcome measures included root mean square of center of pressure (COP) and trunk tilt, and cognitive performance was assessed using the reaction time (RT) from an auditory choice RT task. The results showed that compared with younger adults, older adults had an increase in COP in fixed platform conditions when using VTF, although they were able to reduce COP during sway-referenced platform conditions. Older adults also did not benefit fully from using VTF in their first session. The RTs for the secondary cognitive tasks increased significantly while using the VTF in both younger and older adults. Older adults had a larger increase compared with younger adults, suggesting that greater attentional demands were required in older adults when using VTF information. Future training protocols for VTF should take into consideration the effect of aging.

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A normative modelling approach reveals age-atypical cortical thickness in a subgroup of males with autism spectrum disorder

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-020-01212-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Richard A. I. Bethlehem ◽

Jakob Seidlitz ◽

Rafael Romero-Garcia ◽

Stavros Trakoshis ◽

Guillaume Dumas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Thickness ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Case Control ◽

Small Subset ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Average Case ◽

Age Related ◽

Small Subgroup ◽

Individualized Approach ◽

Age Range

AbstractUnderstanding heterogeneity is an important goal on the path to precision medicine for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We examined how cortical thickness (CT) in ASD can be parameterized as an individualized metric of atypicality relative to typically-developing (TD) age-related norms. Across a large sample (n = 870 per group) and wide age range (5–40 years), we applied normative modelling resulting in individualized whole-brain maps of age-related CT atypicality in ASD and isolating a small subgroup with highly age-atypical CT. Age-normed CT scores also highlights on-average differentiation, and associations with behavioural symptomatology that is separate from insights gleaned from traditional case-control approaches. This work showcases an individualized approach for understanding ASD heterogeneity that could potentially further prioritize work on a subset of individuals with cortical pathophysiology represented in age-related CT atypicality. Only a small subset of ASD individuals are actually highly atypical relative to age-norms. driving small on-average case-control differences.

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Entorhinal cortex tau, amyloid-β, cortical thickness and memory performance in non-demented subjects

Brain ◽

10.1093/brain/awz025 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 142 (4) ◽

pp. 1148-1160 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

David S Knopman ◽

Emily S Lundt ◽

Terry M Therneau ◽

Prashanthi Vemuri ◽

Val J Lowe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Entorhinal Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Amyloid Β ◽

Gradient Boosting ◽

Amyloid Pet ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Age Related ◽

Z Scores

AbstractAs more biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and age-related brain conditions become available, more sophisticated analytic approaches are needed to take full advantage of the information they convey. Most work has been done using categorical approaches but the joint relationships of tau PET, amyloid PET and cortical thickness in their continuous distributions to cognition have been under-explored. We evaluated non-demented subjects over age 50 years in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, 2037 of whom had undergone 3 T MRI scan, 985 amyloid PET scan with 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) and MRI, and 577 PIB-PET, 18F-AV1451 flortaucipir PET and MRI. Participants received a nine-test cognitive battery. Three test scores (logical memory delayed recall, visual reproduction delayed recall and auditory verbal learning test delayed recall) were used to generate a memory composite z-score. We used Gradient Boosting Machine models to analyse the relationship between regional cortical thickness, flortaucipir PET signal, PIB-PET signal and memory z-scores. Age, education, sex and number of test exposures were included in the model as covariates. In this population-based study of non-demented subjects, most of the associations between biomarkers and memory z-scores accrued after 70 years of age. Entorhinal cortex exhibited the strongest associations between biomarkers and memory z-scores. Other temporal regions showed similar but attenuated associations, and non-temporal regions had negligible associations between memory z-scores and biomarkers. Entorhinal flortaucipir PET signal, PIB-PET signal and entorhinal cortical thickness were independently and additively associated with declining memory z-scores. In contrast to global PIB-PET signal where only very high amyloid-β levels were associated low memory z-scores, entorhinal flortaucipir PET signal just above background levels was associated with low memory z-scores. The lowest memory z-scores occurred with the confluence of elevated entorhinal flortaucipir PET signal and lower entorhinal cortical thickness.

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P1-427: AMYLOID-β AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH CORTICAL THICKNESS, MEMORY, AND COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS IN OLDER ADULTS

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1016/j.jalz.2019.06.1032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. P428-P429

Author(s):

Claudia Schwarz ◽

Catharina Lange ◽

Gloria Benson ◽

Nora Horn ◽

Katharina Wurdack ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Amyloid Β ◽

Cognitive Complaints

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DNA methylation and cognitive functioning in healthy older adults

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114511003576 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 744-748 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Olga J. G. Schiepers ◽

Martin P. J. van Boxtel ◽

Renate H. M. de Groot ◽

Jelle Jolles ◽

Frans J. Kok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Folic Acid ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Global Dna Methylation ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Study Results ◽

The Relationship

Long-term supplementation with folic acid may improve cognitive performance in older individuals. The relationship between folate status and cognitive performance might be mediated by changes in methylation capacity, as methylation reactions are important for normal functioning of the brain. Although aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, the relationship between DNA methylation status and non-pathological cognitive functioning in human subjects has not yet been investigated. The present study investigated the associations between global DNA methylation and key domains of cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. Global DNA methylation, defined as the percentage of methylated cytosine to total cytosine, was measured in leucocytes by liquid chromatography–MS/MS, in 215 men and women, aged 50–70 years, who participated in the Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (FACIT) study (clinical trial registration number NCT00110604). Cognitive performance was assessed by means of the Visual Verbal Word Learning Task, the Stroop Colour-Word Interference Test, the Concept Shifting Test, the Letter–Digit Substitution Test and the Verbal Fluency Test. Using hierarchical linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, level of education, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, erythrocyte folate concentration and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 C → T genotype, we found that global DNA methylation was not related to cognitive performance on any of the domains measured. The present study results do not support the hypothesis that global DNA methylation, as measured in leucocytes, might be associated with cognitive functioning in healthy older individuals.

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Sarcopenic Obesity and Cognitive Functioning: The Mediating Roles of Insulin Resistance and Inflammation?

Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research ◽

10.1155/2012/826398 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

M. E. Levine ◽

E. M. Crimmins

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Older Adults ◽

Body Composition ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Age Related ◽

Older Subjects ◽

The Relationship

This study examined the influence of insulin resistance and inflammation on the association between body composition and cognitive performance in older adults, aged 60–69 and aged 70 and older. Subjects included 1127 adults from NHANES 1999–2002. Body composition was categorized based on measurements of muscle mass and waist circumference as sarcopenic nonobese, nonsarcopenic obese, sarcopenic obese, and normal. Using OLS regression models, our findings suggest body composition is not associated with cognitive functioning in adults ages 60–69; however, for adults aged 70 and over, sarcopenia and obesity, either independently or concurrently, were associated with worse cognitive functioning relative to non-sarcopenic non-obese older adults. Furthermore, insulin resistance accounted for a significant proportion of the relationship between cognitive performance and obesity, with or without sarcopenia. Additionally, although high CRP was significantly associated with poorer cognitive functioning in adults ages 60–69, it did not influence the association between body composition and cognitive performance. This study provides evidence that age-related physiological maladaptations, such as metabolic deregulation, which are associated with abdominal fat, may simultaneously contribute to lower cognition and muscle mass, reflecting a degradation of multiple physiological systems.

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IMPACT OF DIETARY FACTORS AND INFLAMMATION ON COGNITION AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease ◽

10.14283/jpad.2015.50 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

E.P. Handing ◽

B.J. Small ◽

S.L. Reynolds ◽

N.B. Kumar

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Plasma Homocysteine ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Serum Folate ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Age Related

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the influence of age, nutrition (as measured through food diaries and serum/plasma biomarkers) and inflammatory markers on cognitive performance in adults 60 years of age and older. DESIGN: A cross-sectional population based study, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2001-2002 wave). PARTICIPANTS: This study included 1,048 adults who had valid dietary data, blood biomarkers, were 60 years or older, completed the cognitive test, and had complete demographic information. METHOD: A series of regression models were used to examine the relationship between cognitive function as measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Task (DSST), dietary factors/biomarkers and inflammation. Mediation analyses were then utilized to examine whether individual nutrients accounted for the relationships between age and DSST performance. RESULTS: Dietary fat intake, serum vitamin E, serum folate, serum iron, plasma homocysteine, and serum vitamin D were significantly associated with better DSST performance. Elevated fibrinogen and C-reactive protein, were significantly associated with poorer cognitive function, but did not remain statistically significant after controlling for age, gender, education, ethnicity, income, and total calorie intake. Serum vitamin D and plasma homocysteine accounted for a portion of age-related variance in DSST. Specifically, higher levels of vitamin D were related to better DSST performance, while higher homocysteine resulted in poorer cognitive performance. CONCLUSION: Diet and nutrition are important modifiable factors that can influence health outcomes and may be beneficial to remediate age-related declines in cognition. Adequate nutrition may provide a primary preventive approach to healthy aging and maintenance of cognitive functioning in older adults.

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Effects of an Adaptogenic Extract on Electrical Activity of the Brain in Elderly Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Two-Armed Cross-Over Study

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph13030045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 45 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wilfried Dimpfel ◽

Leonie Schombert ◽

Ingrid K. Keplinger-Dimpfel ◽

Alexander Panossian

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Performance Test ◽

Anxiolytic Effect ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Learning Ability ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Double Blind ◽

Double Blind Placebo ◽

Age Related ◽

Study Results

Background: The current and potential uses of adaptogens are mainly related to treatment of stress-induced fatigue, impaired cognitive function, mental illness, and behavioral- and age-related disorders. However, clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of adaptogens is limited. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether a combination of adaptogenic plant extracts from Andrographis paniculata and Withania somnifera (Adaptra® Forte) could be used as effective and safe treatment for impaired cognitive, memory, or learning ability functions and sleep disorders. Methods: The changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency ranges in 17 different brain regions, psychometric tests of cognitive performance, as well as standard questionnaires of assessment of mood and sleep were measured after single and repeated administration of Adaptra® or placebo for four weeks and after a two-week treatment-free follow-up period within a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled two-armed cross-over study. Results: Adaptra® Forte significantly improved cognitive performance in the d2-Test for attention and the concentration performance test after four weeks’ treatment, and was positively correlated with increases in δ and θ power in the quantitative EEG compared with placebo during cognitive challenges. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Adaptra® Forte exhibits a calming and anxiolytic effect without sedation, and is associated with overall stress-protective activity.

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Brain training using cognitive apps can improve cognitive performance and processing speed in older adults

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91867-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bruno Bonnechère ◽

Malgorzata Klass ◽

Christelle Langley ◽

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Real Life ◽

Brain Training ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Age Related ◽

Public Health Challenge ◽

The Brain ◽

Global Aging

AbstractManaging age-related decrease of cognitive function is an important public health challenge, especially in the context of the global aging of the population. Over the last years several Cognitive Mobile Games (CMG) have been developed to train and challenge the brain. However, currently the level of evidence supporting the benefits of using CMG in real-life use is limited in older adults, especially at a late age. In this study we analyzed game scores and the processing speed obtained over the course of 100 sessions in 12,000 subjects aged 60 to over 80 years. Users who trained with the games improved regardless of age in terms of scores and processing speed throughout the 100 sessions, suggesting that old and very old adults can improve their cognitive performance using CMG in real-life use.

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No Influence of Age-Related Hearing Loss on Brain Amyloid-β

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-215121 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Julia Z. Sarant ◽

David C. Harris ◽

Peter A. Busby ◽

Christopher Fowler ◽

Jurgen Fripp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Pet Imaging ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Amyloid Β ◽

Carrier Status ◽

Cognitive Assessments ◽

Age Related ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Study Results ◽

Study Participants

Background: Hearing loss is independently associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline in older adults and has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for dementia. The mechanism for this association is unknown, and there has been limited exploration of potential casual pathology. Objective: Our objective was to investigate whether there was an association between degree of audiometrically measured hearing loss (HL) and brain amyloid-β (Aβ) in a pre-clinical sample. Methods: Participants of the Australian Imaging and Biomarker Longitudinal Study (AIBL; n = 143) underwent positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and objective measurement of hearing thresholds within 5 years of imaging, as well as cognitive assessment within 2 years of imaging in this observational cohort study. Results: With one exception, study participants who had cognitive assessments within 2 years of their PET imaging (n = 113) were classified as having normal cognition. There was no association between cognitive scores and degree of hearing loss, or between cognitive scores and Aβ load. No association between HL and Aβ load was found once age was controlled for. As previously reported, positive Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) carrier status increased the risk of being Aβ positive (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Degree of HL was not associated with positive Aβ status.

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